Sunday, September 19, 2004

The Frenchman to watch

The Jerusalem Post profiles France's Jewish Finance Minister, Nicolas Sarkozy. He is France's most popular politician, probably the next French president -- and a radical breath of fresh air in French politics:
His style is the complete opposite of Chirac's, who has been heading the Right for 30 years. Chirac is a seeker of consensus; Sarkozy prefers decisive action... Chirac is convinced that the French are hostile to any reform whatsoever... Sarkozy, by contrast, believes that the country is impatiently awaiting reforms that will address its weaknesses...
In international politics, Chirac advocates a French alliance with the Arab world, as a counterweight to the United States. Sarkozy, while favoring a more proactive policy for the Muslims of France - he was the first French politician to support affirmative action - does not share the president's anti-American stance in international politics. Quite the contrary: his April trip was a show of approval for American society.
Rest of this important profile here.

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