InfoTrac Reader France France has been in the news mostly for two reasons in the last two years. First, it held both presidential and legislative elections in the spring of 2002. Normally, the two campaigns do not occur back to back, but the quirks of the electoral calendar had the five-year term of the National Assembly and the seven-year tenure of President Jacques Chirac end within weeks of each other. Most observers expected the presidential election to be focus on a second ballot rematch between Chirac and Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin. However, to the shock of almost everyone, the leader of the far-right National Front, Jean-Marie Le Pen, edged out Jospin for second place and a spot in the run-off. Virtually every mainstream political leader came out against the nationalist and racist Le Pen, turning the second ballot into a rout. Then, the dispirited Socialists were overwhelmingly defeated in the legislative elections, giving Chirac and his little known prime minister, Jean-Marie Raffarin, a sweeping mandate for what everyone assumes will be a full five-year stay in office (a constitutional amendment has reduced the length of the presidential term). Second, France gained considerable notoriety because of its opposition to the US-led war against Iraq. Initially, France showed tremendous support for the United States after the attacks of 9/11. President Chirac was the first foreign leader to visit Ground Zero. The influential newspaper, Le Monde, ran a headline that said nous sommes tous américains--we are all Americans. However, French authorities in both the government and opposition had deep reservations about the need for war in early 2003, arguing among other things that inspectors should be given more time to locate weapons of mass destruction and that the purported link between Iraq and al-Qaeda had not been proven. American reaction to the French position (including its refusal to allow passage of a UN Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force) included portraying the French policy as selfish nationalism which typified French foreign policy under de Gaulle forty years ago. It produced Congressional demands that French fries be renamed "freedom fries" and that French toast become "freedom toast" (even though it was named for an innkeeper in New York named French). In fact, it is probably more accurate to argue that Chirac and his colleagues simply reached a different decision than the Bush administration did. March 2004 local elections saw major gains for the left. Conservative prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin faced increased criticism as he sought backing for a series of painful economic reforms. By the middle of 2004 he was losing support from his own party and his future looked uncertain. With France like this, who needs enemies? What motivated French President Chirac to aggressively undermine U.S. policy in Iraq? Will the alliance between Paris and Washington endure? (RELATED ARTICLE: 'Undeniably and horribly savage': the French in Algeria) Gary Turbak. VFW Magazine Oct 2003 v91 i2 p24(4) (1912 words) The Smartest Monkey Ever: Monsieur Chirac has a fantasy, not a strategy. Blair's vision of the European Union is the best course; it is, in fact, the only practical one. (Jacques Chirac; Tony Blair) Fareed Zakaria. Newsweek June 30, 2003 p33 (852 words) Chirac's Great Game. (Jacques Chirac) Carla Power, Richard Wolffe, Tracy Mcnicoll, Emily Flynn. Newsweek International April 28, 2003 p34 (1139 words) 'Sarko' Versus Villepin; President Jacques Chirac and his party just got creamed in elections. Now the real fun begins. Newsweek International April 12, 2004 p28 (1122 words) Of entente, understanding and Verstandnis; French foreign policy. (The centenary of the entente cordiale) The Economist (US) April 10, 2004 v371 i8370 p41US (1123 words) When angry voters hit back; France. (France's voters hit at Jacques Chirac and Jean-Pierre Raffarin) The Economist (US) March 27, 2004 v370 i8368 p50US (1075 words) Shock to the System: Does the conviction of Chirac protg and former Prime Minister Alain Jupp on corruption charges mean that France is finally cleaning up its act? (Europe)(Jacques Chirac) Bruce Crumley. Time International (Europe Edition) Feb 16, 2004 v163 i7 p32 (961 words) Society: Affirmative Action? Oui! At long last, France takes a page from America in order to manage diversity--and bring minorities into elite schools. (Paris Institute of Political Sciences) Newsweek International April 12, 2004 p30 (614 words) Letter from Paris. (banning the hijab) Maria Margaronis. The Nation March 15, 2004 v278 i10 p19 (2208 words) The son of a Hungarian immigrant, the interior minister has taken France by storm. Can he now push Chirac aside? (Profile: Nicolas sarkozy) David Lawday. New Statesman (1996) Jan 5, 2004 v132 i4669 p16(2) (1648 words) Glass ceiling survives in French politics. United Press International Oct 15, 2003 pNA (1001 words) Income inequality in France, 1901-1998. Thomas Piketty. Journal of Political Economy Oct 2003 v111 i5 p1004(39) (15242 words) Deja Views: how Americans look at France *. Edward C. Knox. French Politics, Culture and Society Summer 2003 v21 i2 p1(8) (3059 words) The system of Francophobia. Jean-Philippe Mathy. French Politics, Culture and Society Summer 2003 v21 i2 p24(10) (4229 words) American Francophobia takes a new turn. Justin Vaisse. French Politics, Culture and Society Summer 2003 v21 i2 p33(18) (8006 words) "Old" vs. "New" Europe--and America: France's geopolitical intentions enjoy a history going back to de Gaulle in the early 1960s. Here's how America should respond. (Institutions). Bernard Connolly. The International Economy Spring 2003 v17 i2 p56(4) (1436 words) The policy impact of church--state relations: family policy and abortion in Britain, France, and Germany. Michael Minkenberg. West European Politics Jan 2003 v26 i1 p195(26) (10090 words) Beland, Daniel and and Randall Hansen, "Reforming the French Welfare State." West European Politics. 23 (2000). This article explores both the institutions of the French welfare state and the ideology that underlies them in the light of pro-market changes sweeping Europe. Advanced. Connolly, Bernard, "Old v. New Europe-and America." The International Economy. 17 (2003). A good overview of French foreign and economic policy, including its relations with Europe. Also anticipates why France did not support the US and Britain on Iraq. Basic. Gopnik, Adam. "Comment: French Follies." The New Yorker. 6 May 2002. The best short article about the surprising showing by Jean-Marie Le Pen in that year’s presidential election. Basic. Haase-Dubosc, Danielle. "Sexual Differences and Politics in France Today." Feminist Studies. 25 (1999). This article considers the role of French feminists most notably in achieving passage of a constitutional amendment which requires "parity" or parties to run an equal number of men and women as candidates for all offices in elections that use proportional representation. Note that does not include the National Assembly. Intermediate. Jack, Andrew. "Why the French Really Are Different." New Statesman. 30 August 1999. Ostensibly only about the merger of three banks, this article uses them as a jumping off point to show how and why France has privatized less of its state owned industries than most European countries. Intermediate. Miguet, Arnauld, "The French Election of 2002. After the Earthquake, the Deluge. West European Politics. 25 (2002). This is the best of the few articles written so far about the elections by an academic. Intermediate. Williams, Ian. "U.S Go-It-Along Stance, Fear of Iraqi Compliance, Alienates the Rest of the World." Washington Report on the Middle East. 21 (December 2002). A short but penetrating article on how the positions of the United States in the second half of 2002 put off the governments of France and a number of other countries. Basic.