Clik here to view.
Time is of the essence in Mali
The advance south in recent days by Mali’s Islamist rebels has caught the region and wider world on the back foot and precipitated a move by former colonial power France to the front foot. Speaking to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Was France right to intervene in Mali?
A French army officer stands guard on January 16, 2013 at the military airbase in Bamako (ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP/Getty Images) How justified was France’s decision to intervene in Mali and seek to thwart the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Cameron’s cursed speech on Europe
The story of David Cameron’s much-delayed speech on Europe mixes farce with tragedy. The fact that the Algerian terrorist attack has once again delayed the prime minister’s landmark address, must make...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mali: the liberation of Gao
French army troopers arrive at base camp in Sevare on January 25, 2013 (FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images) French and Malian forces have made rapid advances in recent days in their efforts to defeat...
View ArticleSmart reads January 31, 2013
Mexico has emerged from Brazil’s shadow to become a magnet for investors, but Enrique Peña Nieto still faces formidable challenges. Chuck Hagel will be confirmed as secretary of defense this week: the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The US-EU trade announcement that never was
Hold back the celebratory cupcakes (Getty) As the FT reported this morning, the US has refused to give the Europeans the big, bold announcement on trade that they were desperately seeking. The plan was...
View ArticleSmart Reads February 18, 2013
If you missed it over the weekend, take a read through the FT investigation into the death of Shane Todd, a young American electronics engineer who had feared his work was compromising US security....
View ArticleSmart reads February 20, 2013
Martin Wolf explains why the eurozone crisis is not over yet – “Yes, risks of an immediate crisis are reduced. But no, the currency’s survival is not certain. So long as this is true, the possibility...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hollande and anti-austerity rhetoric
(AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis, Pool) Listening to François Hollande’s comments on his flying visit to Greece earlier this week was like hearing a reprise of his electoral campaign, in which he promised...
View ArticleSmart Reads March 21, 2013
It only took the conclave of cardinals a couple of days to elect a pope, yet Italians are still waiting for a prime minister. Ferdinando Giugliano explains why Italy-watchers are not expecting white...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hollande’s camel: one hump or two?
A camel (Abid Katib/Getty) Some good news at last for François Hollande, mired in a furious scandal over a former minister’s secret Swiss bank account: a new camel is on the way from Mali. In a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Revealed: the wealth of France’s socialists and their secret love of Renaults
There’s nowhere left to hide! The champagne socialists have been outed, their secret extravagance and hypocritical lives of luxury exposed once and for all! At least, that’s what critics of François...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Livre Blanc: France has learned the lessons of the UK’s defence cuts
(CARL COURT/AFP/Getty Images) President François Hollande this week published France’s long awaited strategic defence review, setting out what the French armed forces should be aiming to do in the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Restocking the Elysée’s wine cellar
(Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty) About ten years ago I visited Chateau Margaux in Bordeaux. Paul Pontallier, the chief winemaker there, told me that prices for the most sought-after red Bordeauxs had...
View ArticleSmart Reads May 20, 2013
By Aaron Hagstrom ♦ An isolated village in northeast China has adopted an “eldercare” model, in which the old look after the even older. ♦ Richard Beeston, the courageous Times correspondent who...
View ArticleSmart Reads May 31, 2013
♦ All change in Europe? French labour market reforms start to bear fruit, with signs of movement in industrial relations and eurozone austerity might be on its way out. ♦ India’s economy grew at the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Assad’s advances alter diplomatic calculations
Qusair, in Homs Province (STR/AFP/Getty Images) This has been a week of intense diplomatic and military activity over Syria. At the end of it, anyone analysing the situation has much new detail to...
View ArticleSmart Reads June 20, 2013
♦ The BBC visits two Goodyear-owned tyre factories in Amiens, north France, to look at how the country is getting to grips with labour reform. ♦ The nuclear stand-off with Iran can be resolved now that...
View ArticleFT podcast: World Weekly with Gideon Rachman
Can President Hollande turn things around? This week the French government announced a multi-billion euro programme of investment, designed to boost the economy and President Hollande’s flagging poll...
View Article
