French-American Foundation Weekly Brief highlights political, economic and cultural news stories related to France and French-American relations as well as trans-Atlantic and European issues.
After canceling the first scheduled day due to tropical storm Isaac, the Republican National Convention was set to begin in Tampa, Florida, on Tuesday, August 28, bringing together members of the right to unite, address issues and make official the party candidate, Mitt Romney and previously announced vice-presidential running mate Paul Ryan, Le Monde, The New York Times and Libération reported.
France
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France’s Labor Ministry released data on Monday, August 27, showing that unemployment in France had risen for the 15th straight month in July, reaching its highest level in 13 years, growing 1.4 percent from June, Reuters and 20 Minutes reported. Adding 41,300 unemployed to a total of 2,987,100 in France, the data shows that the number of unemployed in France has grown 8.5 percent in the last year, according to Les Echos.
Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault announced on Wednesday, August 22, that the government would temporarily cut taxes on gasoline to ease pressure of rising fuel prices, reaching as high as €1.70 per liter ($8 per gallon) in the Paris region, as the government looks for longer-term solutions to the nation’s high gas prices, Bloomberg reported. Economy Minister Pierre Moscovici later indicated that France could face additional relief from such high prices as the International Energy Agency seemed open to release emergency reserves at a level possibly comparable to that of a plan a year ago which released 60 million barrels, according to The Chicago Tribune and La Tribune. After France became the first nation last year to ban hydraulic fracturing of shale gas – the controversial practice commonly known as fracking – Ayrault indicated this week that the extraction and exploitation of shale gas remained a possibility, to be explored at a governmental summit on environmental policy on September 14, as covered by UPI.
Arnaud Montebourg, minister of industrial renewal, sparked controversy this week by referring on Sunday, August 26, to nuclear energy as an “industry of the future,” causing allies and opponents of the Socialist government to question whether President François Hollande intended to follow through with campaign promises to reduce the nation’s commitment to nuclear energy, France 24 reported. Cécile Duflot, housing minister and leader of the allied anti-nuclear Europe Ecology – The Greens party responded that the government remained committed to cutting the nation’s reliance on nuclear energy and responded that actions, not the personal opinions of fellow ministers, would show the government’s commitment to reduce the contested energy source, which comprises more than 75 percent of the energy produced in France, according to Le Télégramme. L’Express explored the several fractures that have emerged between the Socialist majority and its allies to the left – not only the future of nuclear energy but also the recent continuation of deportations of France’s Roma population.
Three months out from the election of the new head of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party, former Budget Minister Jean-François Copé launched his campaign on Sunday, August 26, to lead the party, which lost its majority in all branches of government in the past year, setting the stage to face off with François Fillon, prime minister under Nicolas Sarkozy, The Guardian et Ouest-France reported. Former Environment Minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet and former Agriculture Minister Bruno Le Maire have also declared their intention to seek the leadership of the nation’s conservative party, though both face a struggle to receive the required number of endorsements required to qualify, as covered by Le Monde.
President François Hollande issued a decree on Monday, August 20, to revoke from John Galliano the status as chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur a year after the British fashion designer was charged and fined €6,000 for public anti-Semitic insults, The New York Times and Le Point reported. The decision, published by France’s national journal on Wednesday, August 22, reflects the new president’s commitment to combat anti-Semitism in France, according to The Telegraph. Galliano was admitted to the Légion d’Honneur in 2009 by former President Nicolas Sarkozy.
United States
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After canceling the first scheduled day due to tropical storm Isaac, the Republican National Convention was set to begin in Tampa, Florida, on Tuesday, August 28, bringing together members of the right to unite, address issues and make official the party candidate, Mitt Romney and previously announced vice-presidential running mate Paul Ryan, Le Monde, The New York Times and Libération reported. Despite this cancellation, Convention chairman Reince Priebus called the convention to order for a seven-minute session to begin the process of denouncing the presidency of Barack Obama and to set up for the investiture of Romney on Thursday, August 30, according to CNN. The platform for the convention, formed by a committee last week, has put forth some of the party’s more conservative proposals – particularly those pertaining to abortion, same-sex marriage and gun rights, which has caused divisions evident during the primary season to resurface, as covered by Le Figaro and Les Echos. However, The Washington Post points out that in the modern era of American politics, party conventions have been more about personalities than party ideologies. Newsday looked at the Republican Party’s foreign-policy platform for the November election.
The Pew Research Center released a study on Thursday, August 23, indicating that Americans found press coverage of the current presidential elections to be highly negative toward both candidates, creating a tone much more critical than in recent elections, AFP reported. The media narrative for incumbent Democrat Barack Obama was deemed negative by 72 percent of poll respondents, while 71 percent said the representation of Republican Mitt Romney was also negative, according to The Guardian.
Another study by the Pew Research Center released on Wednesday, August 22, showed that the middle class in the United States continues to shrink and possess less wealth than in previous generations, Le Nouvel Observateur and Bloomberg reported. The study showed that 51 percent of adult Americans fell into the category considered the “middle class,” those earning between $39,000 and $118,000 for a family of three, down from 61 percent in 1971. While the number and net worth of the American middle class has dropped, the study also demonstrated that general sentiment had decreased in the past decade, as more Americans find it more difficult to maintain their standard of living and hold a less optimistic view of their financial future, according to Le Parisien and US News & World Report.
President Barack Obama, political opponent Mitt Romney and French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault were among the many global leaders to pay homage to Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon, who died on Saturday, August 25, at the age of 82, L’Express and TIME reported. Le Parisien explored the historical significance of Armstrong’s first step on the moon during a tumultuous era when nations competed to reach extraterrestrial heights, while The Guardian looked at the decline of space travel since its glory day, of which Armstrong was the ultimate figure.
Business & Economics
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A federal jury in San Jose, California, ruled on Friday, August 24, that Korean electronics company Samsung was guilty of infringing on patents owned by Apple and awarded the American giant more than $1 billion in damages, according to L’Usine Nouvelle and The New York Times. The decision, part of an ongoing battle over the two giants’ mobile devices, caused Samsung Electronics shares to drop more than 7 percent on Monday, August 27, though Samsung announced it would fight the decision, according to Le Nouvel Observateur. Le Monde explored the implications for numerous mobile-device manufacturers as the decision seems to create new limitations to the use of the search technology and interface commonly used in multiple devices.
After meeting on Thursday, August 23, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande combined forces to pressure Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to pursue austerity measures as the Greek leader met with the heads of state of Europe’s top two economies in the following days, The Economic Times, Le Nouvel Observateur and The Guardian reported. After meeting with his French counterpart, Pierre Moscovici, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble said on Monday, August 27, that the two ministries were planning to form a working group to address the euro debt crisis, according to Reuters and Libération.
Spanish Finance Minister Luis de Guindos announced on Monday, August 27, that the nation planned to use only €60 billion of the €100 billion in bank-rescue funds offered by European finance ministers in June, L’Express reported. In his analysis of the steps necessary for a Spanish recovery, Guindos said the indebted nation could make greater fiscal commitments if the European Central Bank agreed to purchase government bonds, a controversial proposal that will be addressed by the ECB’s governing council on September 6, as covered by The New York Times.
The Ifo Institute released its closely-watched monthly survey of German business confidence on Monday, August 27, showing that businesses in the top European economy grew less optimistic for the fourth straight month, BBC and Les Echos reported. As the German economy has seen a slowing growth, the survey of 7,000 firms showed a growing pessimism as the euro debt crisis has reached the eurozone’s strongest economy. The euro remained relatively unchanged against the dollar on the day, however, several important events could provide hope for the euro’s future, notably the meeting of the European Central Bank’s governing council on September 6 and the German Constitutional Court’s ruling on the eurozone’s permanent rescue fund, expected on September 12, as covered by Reuters.
International
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Turkey halted the flow of refugees from Syria at two major crossings on Sunday, August 26, as the nation struggled to address the ever-growing flow of Syrians leaving their violence-ridden nation. Opposition groups recounted that at least 320 Syrians were killed in the Damascus suburb of Dariya that day in the largest massacre to date, The LA Times, L’Humanité and The Washington Post reported. On Monday, August 27, French President François Hollande urged the Syrian opposition to form a transitional government, which he said he would recognize while calling on the international community to unite to pressure repressive President Bashar al-Assad to leave power, according to The Houston Chronicle.
Iran welcomed representatives of 120 nations in Tehran for the 16th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement beginning on Sunday, August 26, Le Nouvel Observateur reported. Hoping for support for its uranium-enrichment program and for support toward easing sanctions against the nation, the first-time host called for nations to oppose “unilateral” sanctions in the summit’s first day, according to the Financial Times. The New York Times explored the implications of the attendance of the United Nations Secretary General, as other nations, notably the United States and Israel, continue their efforts to isolate Iran.
Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi named a team of four assistants and 17 presidential advisors that reflect his promise to include women and Christians in the newly formed government. This expands the inclusion of the groups beyond the one Copt and two women ministers named earlier in the month, which drew criticism for a minimal effort to promote diversity, AFP reported. Of the 21 aides named on Monday, August 27, Morsi included three women and two Christians, which represent about 10 percent of the predominantly Sunni-Muslim Eygptian population, according to Libération and Reuters.
Doctors in Pakistan are expected to present findings of the age and mental capacity of Rimsha, a Christian girl of 11 or 12, believed to be learning disabled, arrested under the nation’s blasphemy laws for desecrating the Koran, which has sparked protests by the nation’s Christian community and even inspired Muslim leaders to call for leniency in the normally strict but controversial law protecting the Muslim faith and holy book, BBC, Rue 89 and Al Jazeera reported. The All Pakistan Ulema Council of Muslim clerics and academics came out on Monday, August 27, denouncing the arrest of the young girl as a typical case of the “law of the jungle” emerging in Pakistan, where mobs convince police to arrest people, notably non-Muslims, under blasphemy charges, according to The Guardian