Eurozone’s Greek Strategy Is Flawed: Piketty

It would be a catastrophe for the Eurozone if Greece were pushed out," Thomas Piketty, France's 'super economist' told over 30 members of the AAPA, as it would "spell the beginning of the end for the single currency".   Mr. Piketty, author of the best-selling book 'Capital in the 21st century,' met with over 30 AAPA members at the Paris School of Economics where he gave his views on…


Former AAPA Member William Pfaff Dies

William Pfaff, an international affairs columnist and outspoken critic of the foreign policies of the U.S. and other nations, has died in a Parisian hospital on April 30 at the age of 86. The cause of death was a heart attack, following a fall. A former member of the AAPA, Mr. Pfaff moved to Paris in 1971 and wrote a syndicated column that appeared for more than 25 years in the International…


Helping in Trouble Spots Carries Risks, Fabius Says

France is eager to help out in the world’s trouble spots, but there’s also a risk that a big Western power coming to the aid of the citizens of a foreign country can actually aggravate a situation, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told more than 30 AAPA members on April 16.   Meeting “on-the-record” for over an hour with us in the ornate salons of the Quai d’Orsay, Mr. Fabius said:…


Philharmonie Seeks to Break Down Social Barriers

  AAPA members enjoyed a rare privilege on March 25 when they visited the Philharmonie de Paris, the city’s brand-new classical music concert hall.   Located in the north east of Paris near the Porte de Pantin, a popular, working class area known better for its “Zenith” rock and pop music venue, the Philharmonie opened in January to resounding success, confounding critics who predicted…


AAPA Meets Culture Minister Pellerin

Getting big multinational corporations like Google Inc to pay more to local internet providers for the bandwidth they use was just one of the topics when Culture and Communication Minister Fleur Pellerin met the AAPA on March 11.   Speaking off-the-record to around 20 AAPA members in the gilded Salon des Maréchaux of  her ministry near Palais Royal, Ms. Pellerin touched on a number of…


Imam Lays Out the Challenges Facing French Muslims

Islam in France must respect and adapt to the country's secular creed and be independent of foreign influence, but France must also better understand and respect Islamic history and its achievements, says Tareq Oubrou, rector and imam of the main mosque of Bordeaux.   "Islam has always been transmitted through cultures, so when the culture changes the relationship with religion must change…


AAPA Gets A Sneak Preview of Châtelet’s “Singin' in the Rain”

Some 30 AAPA members and their guests now have a better idea of what goes into producing a world-renowned musical after their privileged behind-the-scenes visit to the Théâtre du Châtelet's production of “Singin' in the Rain" on March 6.   We enjoyed an hour-long tête-à-tête with the show’s director Robert Carson, choreographer Stephen Mear, dramatist Ian Burton, musical director Gareth…


AAPA Briefed by Terrorism Expert Bauer

There is no way to fully counter terrorism, and there are no "lone wolves," AAPA members learned during a lively discussion on Feb. 23 with French criminologist and security and terrorism expert Alain Bauer. All the terrorists who have been identified so far have been "connected" in some way, and most of their funding is coming from their own, often criminal, activities, he said. "The expression…


Thumbs Up For AAPA Happy Hour

Our second AAPA happy hour on February 6 was as big of a success as the first, with over 25 members gathering in the vaulted basement of the Cordonnerie, a bar in the 2nd. True, the space was a bit musky, and the ceiling a tad low, but all-in-all it was a great time and the beer certainly was cheap. We'll probably try out a few more locales before settling in on a permanent home. If anyone has a…


ENA Head Aims To Reform Selection Process

Achieving greater social diversity among the high-powered students at the Ecole Nationale de l'Administration is one of the challenges facing the prestigious school for France's elite managers and civil servants, AAPA members and their guests were told on Jan. 28 by ENA's director, Nathalie Loiseau.   Mme Loiseau acknowledged that ENA's recruiting process tends to reproduce privilege. "It…