France

France to Buy Two US Reaper Drones for Mali

Jorge Benitez — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:21:19 -0500

From Leigh Thomas, Reuters: France is in talks with the United States and Israel to buy intelligence-gathering drones to build up a modern fleet, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Sunday.

Grandes Ecoles: The Making of France’s Ruling Elite

Jorge Benitez — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:12:26 -0500

From François Picard, France 24: “Tell us about the history of Canada…” This curveball question thrown to a startled French student applying to France’s prestigious Sciences Po university is just one example of the so-called 'instruments of pedagogical torture'

Hollande's Europe

Julian Lindley-French — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:02:12 -0500

“It is my responsibility as a leader of a founder member of the European Union...to pull Europe out of this torpor that has gripped it, and to reduce people’s disenchantment with it. If Europe stays in the state it is in now, it could be the end of the project.” Europe owes French President Francois Hollande a deep debt of gratitude.

Gap Between French Ambitions and Cuts in Deployable Forces

Jorge Benitez — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:03:51 -0500

From Julian Lindley-French, New Atlanticist: On 29 April the French published their first defense review in over twenty years.

Beijing's Bitskrieg: China's Revolution in Cyber Warfare

Jorge Benitez — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:18:00 -0500

From John Arguilla, Foreign Policy: What's coming from Beijing is, in a word, "bitskrieg." The Pentagon report describes this as a three-phase process.

French Defense Minister: Groups from Mali Seeking 'New Terrorist Hotbed' in Libya

Jorge Benitez — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:59:11 -0500

From Jamey Keaten, AP: Terror groups ousted from Mali appear to be trying to set up a new haven in Libya, France's defense minister said Monday, vowing to discuss ways of helping Tripoli improve its shaky security with U.S. officials later this week.

Hollande's Survival Mode Endangers Survival

Nicholas Dungan — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:33:21 -0500

From his 75 percent income tax to his 25 percent approval ratings, François Hollande, the French president who took office one year ago, has already been judged the hapless Louis XVI on the eve of the French Revolution or the feckless René Coty who presided over the demise of the Fourth Republic. But what has caused Hollande to adopt the stance he has?

The Growing Franco-German Schism

Frederick Kempe — Mon, 13 May 2013 17:00:31 -0500

Occasionally a public opinion survey surfaces that signals a seismic event. That is the case with a new report from the Pew Research Center that measures the widening tremors of a political earthquake now shaking Europe.