This once religiously conservative country has set an example for progressive social reform and the struggle for human equality.
France Down With Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption
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France
U.S. Could Take a Lesson From France on LGBT Rights
Adoption by gay couples proved to be an especially contentious issue in France.
The In Amenas Fiasco Throws Cold Water on the Algeria-U.S.-France Love Fest (Part Two)
Algeria intended to send a message to the United States and France that Algeria can handle domestic terrorism.
The Mali Blowback: More to Come?
The French-led military offensive in its former colony of Mali has pushed back radical Islamists and allied militias from some of the country’s northern cities, freeing the local population from repressive Taliban-style totalitarian rule. However, despite these initial victories, it raises concerns as to what unforeseen consequences may lay down the road.
Mali, France, and Chickens
Northern Mali stands poised to provide the working definition of a quagmire.
From Here to Timbuktu
The solution in Mali must be a multi-pronged approach involving more than just military measures. The challenge ahead is complex and treacherous. One longs for the heyday of ancient Timbuktu, when African scholars pored studiously over learned manuscripts in quiet libraries.
No Military Solution in Mali, Emira Woods Says
“There cannot be a military solution to this crisis in Mali,” said Emira Woods, co-director of Foreign Policy in Focus at IPS. “The crisis has its roots in political and also economic processes.”
Hunger Striking for Disarmament in France
Only a few weeks after Francois Hollande’s election, former Socialist Prime Minister Michel Rocard came up with an original budget-balancing solution: if France chose to relinquish its nuclear arsenal, he argued, “16 billion euros that serve absolutely no purpose” could be saved over five years.
Waiting for Copernicus
It’s happening in Buenos Aires. It’s happening in Paris and in Athens. It’s even happening at the World Bank headquarters.The global economy is finally shifting away from the model that prevailed for the last three decades. Europeans are rejecting austerity. Latin Americans are nationalizing enterprises. The next head of the World Bank has actually done effective development work.
Maybe that long-heralded “end of the Washington consensus” is finally upon us.
The End of Austerity in Europe?
A few months ago, when Occupy movements bloomed across Europe, the absence of any similar uprising in France appeared to be an anomaly in a country infamous for its people’s propensity to take the streets. One explanation was that the presidential election was just around the corner, and that after 10 years out of government, the Left was capable of channeling the French people’s indignation into electoral gains.