TPMDC France
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart Has A Few Questions For France
Jon Stewart
After French voters sent a message against sweeping austerity measures by electing Socialist François Hollande president, Jon Stewart visited his list of "things I don't understand about France."
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: France, Jon Stewart, french elections, the daily show
The outcome had been staring the world in the face for weeks, but Francois Hollande's weekend victory in the French elections nevertheless sent foreign markets plummeting, reflecting the fact that the Eurozone crisis is still a huge global concern, and that Nicholas Sarkozy's defeat adds an element of uncertainty to an already chaotic situation.
But the markets' visceral reaction to the election masks a more complicated reality. According to experts who've been watching the Eurozone mess unfold for years, the market panic doesn't suggest that the previous regime was on the right course, and fell victim to the impossible politics of austerity. Quite the opposite. Austerity was unpopular both because of the immediate burden it imposed on voters and because it was failing at its supposed purpose of restoring stability to the Eurozone. But pro-austerity forces remain strong both in Europe and around the world, and even a signal as clear as the elections in France or the collapse of the Dutch government last month might not convince them to reconsider, and that has potentially disastrous consequences for the global economy.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Angela Merkel, Economy, Euro, Eurozone, France, Francois Hollande, Nicolas Sarkozy
Barack Obama
Obama to Ivory Coast's Gbabgo: Stand Down Immediately
Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo
President Obama issued a sternly worded order for Ivory Coast's besieged former President Laurent Gbabgo to relinquish his claim to office and end the violence in the West African country amid reports that he and his top generals are negotiating a surrender.
"To end the violence and prevent more bloodshed, former President Gbabgo must stand down immediately, and direct those who are fighting on his behalf to lay down their arms," Obama said in a statement Tuesday morning. "Every day that the fighting persists will bring more suffering, and further delay the future peace and prosperity that the people of Cote D'Ivoire deserve."
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Alassane Ouattara , Barack Obama, France, Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbabgo, State Department, United Nations
Libya
Obama: 'I Refused' To Let A Massacre Happen In Libya
President Barack Obama
President Obama delivered a clear and determined defense of his decision to authorize U.S. military-led air strikes in Libya, stressing that he could not allow an impending massacre in the country to occur but would not use military might to topple Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi from power.
The speech, delivered Monday night, was cloaked in broad statements about American values and U.S. responsibilities to support democratic movements against brutal and repressive regimes.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: 112th Congress, Barack Obama, Britain, Fort Hood, France, Hillary Clinton, Libya, Muammar Qaddafi, State Department, United Nations, no-fly zone
Barack Obama
Obama: U.S. Is Not Targeting Qaddafi But Has Tools To Do So
President Barack Obama
Update: President Obama sent a letter to Congressional leaders spelling out his decision to direct strikes against Libyan air defenses over the weekend and citing his Constitutional authority for the military action.
President Obama held out the threat of targeting Libyan Leader Muammar Qaddafi personally Monday but said the U.S. would stop short of doing so -- at least for now.
Instead, Obama stressed the importance of sticking to the mandate of the U.N. resolution passed Thursday, which focuses on preventing Qaddafi from crushing opposition forces in a large-scale massacre.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: 'Obama's Wars', Barack Obama, Britain, France, Libya, Muammar Qaddafi, United Nations, no-fly zone, pentagon
Libya
Libyan Ambassador to U.S.: Ceasefire Is Not Enough
The Libyan Ambassador to the United States, who has broken with the ruling regime, is urging the U.S., Britain and France to employ the full extent of a U.N. resolution passed Thursday and use military airstrikes to contain Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi as soon as possible.
A cease-fire in Libya does not go far enough to quell the humanitarian crisis in the country and the brutal policies of the Muammar Qaddafi's regime, Ambassador Ali Aujali, who joined the opposition in the early days of the crisis, told reporters Friday morning at the National Press Club.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Barack Obama, Britain, France, Hillary Clinton, Libya, Muammar Qaddafi, State Department, United Nations, no-fly zone
Lindsey Graham
Graham On No-Fly Zone: At Least Be As Bold As The French
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is pouring the pressure on the Obama administration to establish a no-fly zone or deal with the historical consequences.
"One test in foreign policy - at least be as bold as the French," Graham, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a release Wednesday. "Unfortunately, when it comes to Libya we're failing that test."
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Arab League, Barack Obama, Britain, France, John Kerry, John McCain, Libya, Lindsey Graham, Muammar Qaddafi, no-fly zone
Nuclear Energy
Boehner: The United States Should Be More Like France -- When It Comes To Nuclear Energy
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)
Reacting to the nuclear meltdown crisis playing out in Japan, House Speaker John Boehner told an audience at a job creation forum Wednesday that the United States should and will learn lessons from the tragedy. But in the meantime, the country should aim to increase its reliance on nuclear energy -- much like France.
"I don't think there's any question that there are a lot of lessons to be learned by what's happening in Japan, and there's no question we will learn from that," Boehner said.
But there are nuclear reactors operating all over the world. Eighty-two percent of the electricity produced in France comes from nuclear sources, and has done so successfully for decades. Only 20 percent of the electricity in the United States comes from nuclear sources.PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)So I think let's learn the lessons, let's understand what safeguards if any additional safeguards need to be put in place. But let's not just say like we have for the last 30 years, we're not even going to look at it because we're afraid of it.
Topics: France, Japan, John Boehner, Nuclear Energy, Socialism
