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The mid-August 2021 end of the Afghan War (in the United States, anyway) came about a month earlier than projected, but it was eighteen months in the making. Longer than that, of course. But we were preoccupied with covid and lockdown, with watching Tiger King …

The first tour (round) of the 2021 regional and departmental elections in France is now over.   It surprised everyone.   The elections held throughout the country on June 20 seem to have muddied, rather than clarified, the forecasts for the presidential elections next year. And they …

The région of Hauts-de-France came into existence in 2016, as Picardy was added to the previous Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. It is the northernmost part of the country, bordering Belgium and the English Channel, and includes the cities of Lille (the site of the Prefecture), Dunkirk, Amiens, …

A recent survey in France suggested that 61% of those polled would not vote for Emmanuel Macron in the first round of the presidential elections next year.  Of the remaining 39%, 11% said they would definitely vote for him, and 28% said it was “possible.”  …

First, watch this terrific performance of the Chilean resistance song (“The people united will never be defeated!”) in front of the Odéon Theater. (An original version is in the notes below, along with the link to the full 30 minute open air concert.) So what …

David Lisnard has been Mayor of Cannes–home of Riviera beaches, sun, the film festival– since 2014.  He was reelected to another six year term in March 2020 by 88% of the vote.  He is 52.  He is a father to three children from his first …

The French Academy was founded in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu during the reign of Louis XIII.  Its purpose was to maintain the standards of French language and literature, and it remains a bastion of French culture.  There are only forty members, and each is elected …

A year from now, France will be in the thick of its presidential campaign.  The first round of the election will be held on April 8, 2022; the second round, for the two who come in ahead of the pack in the first round, will …

While the French government’s struggle against Islamo-gauchisme has captured international  attention, the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darminin, has made an even more significant move to dissolve the far right group Génération Identitaire (Generation Identity)–more significant, because while Islamo-gauchisme is a nonsensical caricature of the …

Recently the Wall Street Journal editorial board published an article titled “Emmanuel Macron and the Woke,”  in which they credited the French President with coming out against “Leftism” in the media and on college campuses.  They positioned Macron as a “center left politician” (more like …