French Universities

French universities are on strike. Between school breaks and strike days, most French students have not spent much time in their respective colleges. What else is new? The French, who invented parliamentary democracy thanks to the philosophers of the Enlightenment, prefer mob rule. The longer the strike, and the more annoyance to their fellow citizens, the greater the reward from the Central Government who always fears being toppled in this traditionally unruly nation.

In France, going to college is an entitlement. It is free of charge. Most students who attend high school can go to college since socialist governments in the past have so watered down the famous baccalaureate, that 85% pass. The result is that millions of students crowd the halls of hopelessly ill=maintained buildings. Their campuses have nothing to do with their American counterparts and attendance is not compulsory. Being a college student in France entitles you to a transit discount, and subsidized room and board. In June you have to show up for tests.....it is sometimes a rude awakening. Over half the freshmen fail.

France also has elite "Grandes Ecoles" , polytechnique, ENA, Normale Superieure, where admission is on a strict competition basis and where most government leaders are issued. There are very few private schools, the Metz based Geaorgia Tech being a rare example.

The reason for the strike this time, is president Sarkozy's proposal to give French Universities a small part of independence from the Central Government. The professors fear losing the statute of civil servants. The students are ideologically opposed to any collaboration between business, research, and studies.

Who will win? Two guesses and the last one doesn't count.

Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe and Martinique are two French islands in the West Indies. They are not considered as colonies, nor as Territories. No, these two tropical paradises are administered as "departments" that is to say as part and parcel of France.
In order to compensate for the distance that separates them from the mainland, these two islands, on top of having the euro as currency and being part of the EU, receive every year billions of euros in subsidies from the French government.
But nowadays, with the world economic crisis, tourism is down and the only production, expensive bananas loaded with EU taxes, cannot compete with the cheaper "dollar bananas" from Central America.
The islanders have turned to violent demonstrations. Their complaints go from asking for more subsidies, of course, to independance. Mr. Besancenot, the young French leader of the newly minted "PAC" or Anti-Capitalist Party is visiting, trying to pour his brand of snake oil on the fire.
Perhaps these two islands would be better off independant. Although judging from the economies of its neighbors one could doubt it.
In any case, independance would mean great savings for the average French taxpayer.
As Levi-Strauss said: Tristes Tropiques!

France returns to NATO

France had never left NATO. It is actually a founding Member State. In 1966, General De Gaulle, president of France, decided to leave the integrated military command of NATO. He also ordered all NATO troops out of French territory. Since then, NATO headquarters moved from Paris to Brussels, and SHAPE moved to Mons, Belgium. De Gaulle's reasons were a mix of hurt pride (he had to ask for asylum and help from his British and US allies during WWII), and ambition.France had asked Eisenhower for the A=Bomb in 1954 to help win the Indochina war. Ike refused. France invaded the nationalized Suez canal along with Britain and Israel in 1956, only to be abandoned by the US. De Gaulle thought France could regain its pre-war prestige by playing the role of neutral referee between East and West (Pnohm-Pehn) speech. Later, after the Soviet Union collapsed,it was revealed that the Soviets had penetrated De Gaulle's entourage and celebrated his leaving NATO with champagne and a medal to one of their chief spy.

Ever since 1966, both French and US military enjoyed good relations, took part in joint maneuvers. Under president Mitterrand relations soured during the war in Bosnia when the French favored the Serb side.
On SEP.11 2001, France adopted article 5, invoked by NATO when one member state is attacked. French troops are deployed in several African countries, in Afghanistan, in Kosovo, Bosnia, and on bases in the Pacific.
On April 3rd, President Obama will go to Strasbourg and Kehl across the Rhine for a NATO meeting. He will be told officially of the return of France into the integrated military command.

Thelma

They are trying a new "Thelma" on Barack Obama. You will remember how Hillary Clinton's timid plan to overhaul health care was derailed by repeated ads where a fictitious Thelma was sounding dire warnings about universal single payer health care.
Big Pharma stands to lose a lot if ever this plan sees the light of day. I attended a conference in November, shortly after Obama's election. It was attended by most CEOs of big pharmaceutical companies, but also by politicians turned lobbyists. All swore to defeat Universal Single payer Health care. It is a simple choice of money used to care for sick Americans or for the pockets of Pharma shareholders. To scare off the American Public, they sound lies such as:Government healthcare is inefficient and expensive. The US health system is the Most inefficient and the Most expensive in the OECD. The US has a shorter life expectancy and a higher infant mortality rate than the OECD average.If the UK NHS system has a few problems, at least ALL citizens are covered. And all but elective services are performed without delay. As to the Belgian, German, French, Swiss, Scandinavian systems, not only they cover ALL citizens,they provide child care, maternity and paternity leave, and managed to be at the head of many medical breakthroughs. See the many Nobel prizes obtained by French doctors. You wonder why the American people never hears about THESE systems of Single Payer Universal Health Care!
I do not know about other examples, but I can confirm that everything Michael Moore said about the French system is true. Why? I used it and it saved my life free of charge.
So now, the headlines about Tom Daschle not paying his 123,000$ in taxes make more sense. What is that sum in regard to the cost of Health care, compare it to the 18 billions Wall Street CEOs gave themselves in bonuses from the bailout money, and compare it to the lives lost by an inefficient greedy , dysfunctional present health care. It is but the first salvo of Big Pharma.

Allied Help

Barack Obama is at least as revered in Europe as he is at home. Scared and disappointed by an America they no longer recognized, most Europeans are happy to see GWB go, with his war of choice, his torture and his renditions. In Barack Obama, they see the America they always admired and and needed. A generous, powerful and well intentioned ally. What they do not expect, is that Prrsident Obama is going to pay them a visit asking for more forces in Afghanistan. They will not take it well for many reasons. First, WWII is still present in European memories. Wars are anathema. Second, this entail a constant choice of butter over guns: military budgets over all are small and shrinking in Europe. They are also highly unpopular among voters. All the more in times of recession, if not pre-depression.
Finally a country like France, already contributes thousands of troops in Africa (Chad, Central African Republic, of the coast of Somalia, Djibouti, Ivory Coast Senegal, Mali, etc) in the pacific area and both with Euofor in Darfur and with the UN in Lebanon. This list does not take into account the troops deployed in Afghanistan nor the Air wing deployed in Kazhakstan.
It is unlikely that the Europeans will accede to president Obama wishes, in spite of their admiration for him.

European Des-Union

I am just back from Europe where watching the news is a national sport. But the European media are so biased in favor of the palestinians that the conflict in Gaza sounds like it is on a different planet. Huge crowds, riled by biased news, demonstrate in the streets of European capitals to condemn the country attacked by iranian missiles (Israel), and to praise the terrorist organization doing it (Hamas). On French media, there is another twist: French President Sarkozy, whose presidency of the EU just came to an end, still behaves as if he was still EU chair and tours the Middle East trying to help the Hamas. He was very contemptuous of the Czech president, the new EU chair, and incidentally pro american.
Mr. Sarkozy should show his talent with the Russians.Prime Minister Putin has decided to show some muscle and turned off the gas pipeline supply to the Ukraine and, accessorily, Western Europe. The EU, is split. On one side the new member ststes, whic, having spent 70 years in the clutches of the bear have very limited trust and a lon memory. On the other side, western Europe, totally dependent on Mr. Putin's gas and wanting to make nice.
The EU's new friends: Hamas and Russia. Happy 2009.

Meanwhile in Europe...

All European Governments are bailing out their auto industries.
The auto crisis has everything to do with the current administration disastrous energy policy and Iraq war and little to do with GM or Ford models. GM and Ford are very successful in Europe.
German auto workers are all unionized (3,6 million members!) Unions not only help set up wages, but have mandatory seats on the board and all auto companies MUST have a workers'council that decides on policy.
The average worker's salary at Porsche's, Opel (GM) or VW is 1,600$ a week for a 35 hr week. Workers are paid a 13th month at Christmas. Like all German citizens, they are entilted to 6 weeks paid vacation and enjoy 100% medical coverage courtesy of their Universal Medical Insurance scheme. Their children go to college free of charge and like any German kid, can also attend free training classes in the Industry.

US auto workers would be competitive if their companies were not burdened by an insane healthcare system that enriches the few and puts the US at the bottom of OECD countries ranking.

The posse of Southern Senators who want to score against the UAW at the expense of the country are the same people who have given huge subsidies to foreign manufacturers in their states. they have chosen Japan and Korea over their own country. Shame on them.