Israel's Ambassador, Yossi Gal
Israel's ambassador to France, Yossi Gal, provided some twenty members on Sept. 8 with some frank, defensive, explanatory series of insights on some of the most sensitive issues facing his country and the international community. The breakfast meeting, hosted by the Israeli Embassy, covered French-Israeli relations, the controversial Palestinian move for recognition at the UN later this month;…
John D. Panitza
We are sad to announce that John D. Panitza, former Managing Editor of Reader’s Digest and a long-time member of AAPA, died in Paris on July 28 at the age of 80 after a long struggle with cancer. “Dimi,” as he was known to all, worked for the Digest for 42 years, most of them as head of its European Editorial Office in Paris, which produced articles for the magazine’s numerous editions around…
AAPA meets Palestine's Envoy
The stalled Middle East peace process and its implications for the Palestinian people were the main topics discussed when Palestinian ambassador to France, Hael Al-Fahoum, met with the AAPA on June 23 at the Palestinian mission. Over a lengthy breakfast, Al-Fahoum, a veteran diplomat and PLO insider since the late 1970s, explained his concerns for the region and discussed potential strategies for…
Sun Shines For AAPA's Annual Gala
Our annual spring gala held at the British Embassy residence this year on June 1 had all the necessary ingredients for a successful event: a wonderful setting, a brace of top-level diplomats, fantastic weather, high-caliber guests and great catering. Nearly 100 members and their guests listened as our host and honorary co-president, British Ambassador Peter Westmacott made us feel at home with…
Kouchner Opens Up to the AAPA
Relaxed and extraordinarily frank, former foreign minister Bernard Kouchner willingly answered the central question put to him at a meeting with the AAPA on May 9: What's it like being a leftist minister in a Sarkozy government? "He decides - everything. Delegates all" to those responsible for domestic and particularly foreign policy, he said, noting the four "regal" ministries that count most…
BHL meets the AAPA
French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy met with the AAPA on April 6th. Levy, better known by his initials, BHL, strode casually into the Bloomberg conference room… dressed in his usual attire – a black suit and collarless white shirt. He was very relaxed throughout the meeting, or perhaps it was jetlag. He had just returned from New York that morning. Levy is quite the statesman these days. He…
The Association's Author's Night
The Association's Author's Night on March 28 filled John Morris' loft with people eager to learn what inspires authors and how they get their books published. The speakers were a brochette of AAPA member-authors, including Christopher Dickey, Peter Gumbel, David Pike, John Morris, Don Morrison, Anne-Elisabeth Moutet, Alan Riding, Harriet Welty Rochefort and Gerry Dryansky, with a collective…
World Could Dodge Oil Shock - IEA Chief
The global economy would suffer from sustained oil prices of $100 a barrel, but the current output of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries members is reducing the risk of a real oil shock like the one in 2008 when the price of oil spiked to nearly $150, the head of the International Energy Agency told a group of AAPA members on Feb. 18. If today's oil prices endure, then "the…
Rohatyn Speaks Out
Felix Rohatyn touched only briefly on his recently-published memoirs. When we met with him on Feb. 8 in an informal meeting at Member John Morris' apartment. Rohatyn, a longtime investment banker and former AAPA honorary co-president from the time when he was U.S. Ambassador to France, spent most of the evening airing his views on a wide range of issues in the news, ranging from the need to…
Supercop Grilled by AAPA
Ronald Noble, the head of international crime-busting organization Interpol, gave a rare insight into the group's workings when he was grilled by more than 30 AAPA members on Feb. 3. Noble has headed the Lyon-based organization since 2000 and was recently re-elected to a third five-year term. He told us how Interpol is grappling with the ever-increasing workload of international cooperation among…