Bernard Kouchner: Precariously Balancing on the Humanitarian Pedestal

In a time when non-governmental organizations have controversial degrees of influence on states’ foreign policy, it is always interesting to encounter an occasion where the two worlds seem to collide in both a peaceful and a productive way. When in a rather puzzling move President Nicolas Sarkozy appointed Bernard Kouchner (see left, during a recent trip to Africa) as his foreign minister in 2007, it was assumed that this would be an example of such an instance. Kouchner, 69, is most prominently known as the co-founder of the 1999 Nobel prize-winning Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and has dedicated his life to fighting against humanitarian injustices all over the world. Having had Jewish grandparents who perished in the Nazi death camps during World War II, Kouchner is a firm believer in the Quaker notion of bearing witness, and as such has "an individual engagement" to expose and prevent mass killings “based on personal obstinacy.” Although in general Kouchner is greatly admired for his work as a humanitarian, in recent weeks he has found himself under heavy fire following the release of the book, Le Monde Selon K. Investigative writer Pierre Péan, who, according to UK's The Times, is considered to be “one of the most prolific and successful French investigators of political scandal,” wrote the work in question. The controversial allegations that appear in the Le Monde Selon K, notably the assertion that Kouchner repeatedly blurred the line between public and private activities during his career as a consultant on health matters in Africa, suggest a desire on Péan’s behalf to tarnish the reputation of the world-renowned do-gooder. It has thus provoked divided responses as to whether or not his claims of Kouchner’s alleged immorality should hold weight or be cast off as completely ludicrous. Having explored the blogosphere for posts that tackle the debate surrounding the French foreign minister, I chose to highlight two that I found to provide compelling insight into this issue. The first, titled “Bernard Kouchner prepares for the fight of his life,” was written by Henry Samuel, the French correspondent for the Telegraph. The second, “In defense of Bernard Kouchner,” was written by Andrew Murphy as a guest post for the politics and art compilation blog, Harry's Place. My reactions to both of these posts are included below, and are also available by way of comments posted at each of the respective sites.

“Bernard Kouchner prepares for the fight of his life” (comment)

This is a remarkable post which effectively explores the rationales behind Péan’s denouncement of Kouchner in his book, Le Monde Selon K, and specifically sheds light on the likely possibility that political tensions played a large role in provoking the accusations. While Sarkozy’s appointment of Kouchner as foreign minister in 2007 was certainly a bit of a conundrum considering the political orientations of the men, I was not aware that the rapport between the two was strained, nor was I aware of the high probability that “the Elysée…provided Péan with material” for his book. However, although I understand that Péan and other socialists perceive Kouchner as having abandoned his party when he accepted Sarkozy’s cabinet position, I have to wonder if there are more egotistical reasons that propelled the writer to take such a slanderous and even at times anti-Semitic stance on Kouchner as a person. Perhaps there are additional details of their past interactions to which the public is not privy that would substantiate their current rapport (or lack thereof)?

While Péan certainly did initiate controversy over the exact intentions of the foreign minister, in questioning the nobility of the “white knight” with the intent to “scratch the gold off the icon” it seems that the most prominent accomplishment of his work was proving to Kouchner that despite all of his amazing feats in the humanitarian realm, he still has many foes. In your post you imply that this may one of the most definitive moments in Kouchner’s career; do you personally believe that he will make it out unscathed, or instead will his enemies be triumphant in using this incident to lead to his potential demise? While evidently there are those who believe that he merits the negative publicity, I’m hopeful that the public will not be easily swayed by Péan’s words; after all, despite his extraordinary compassion for humankind, Bernard Kouchner remains a human being who, like the rest of us, is destined to have some flaws.


“In defense of Bernard Kouchner” (comment)

I’m very glad to read that there are those out there who also found Péan’s attack of Bernard Kouchner to be unfounded and lacking serious evidence. Although the investigative journalist has surely raised questions that merit exploration, Kouchner has many accomplishments which in essence contradict that of which is he being accused; after all, why would someone who has dedicated his whole life to exposing and combating human rights violations knowingly throw his reputation away? What I found particularly interesting was your suggestion that had Kouchner not taken a stance on Iraq which was perceived as “pro-American,” it is likely that he would not be facing such allegations today. Even the cover of the book (see right) attempts from the get-go to persuade readers that there is a strong link between Kouchner and President George W. Bush, when he was in actuality against the Iraq war but even more so against the suffering and atrocities that were occurring in the country under Saddam Hussein. As you mentioned, in 2003 when he did not follow “most of the French left into knee-jerk anti-Americanism,” Kouchner was rendered an outcast of the Socialist party, ultimately being expelled from it “when he joined the center-right Sarkozy government." Indeed, there are many around the world that believe Péan’s work to be primarily motivated as a result of his disdain for Kouchner, with rumors that it was the “betrayed” members of the left who provided the author with much of his material. As is evident with his unique stance on Iraq, Kouchner remains an iconoclastic figure exactly because he refuses to automatically conform to the desires of others, regardless of their political nature.

I am also astounded that there are those who see payment for his time as a consultant to states such as Gabon and Congo as unwarranted; certainly Kouchner deserved to be paid for the time and effort he put into ameliorating the health systems, regardless of the whether or not the leaders are considered questionable? Kouchner has been taking politically salient stances on controversial issues since the early 1970s, and as one who consistently promotes the importance in upholding human rights it is, as you precisely put it, “ no shock that Kouchner’s organization would be in those countries.”

Maternity Leave in France: What Is the Motivation?

In recent weeks there has been considerable media attention surrounding the French government and its cabinet members, with one of the latest spotlights shining on Rachida Dati (see right), the justice minister of France under President Nicolas Sarkozy. Dati, 43, is France’s first cabinet member of North African origin, and has been a star of the French press for some time now, initially making waves with the announcement of her unmarried pregnancy, a topic which created further commotion when Miss Dati declined to reveal the identity of the baby’s father. The most recent public scrutiny of the minister resulted from her decision to return to work just five days after giving birth to a baby girl, sparking heated discussions around the globe on the topic of maternity leave in France.

The French maternity leave system is widely acclaimed, particularly as a result of its seeming commitment to uphold and support mothers’ rights after giving birth. While certainly there are drawbacks to having policy as socially progressive as that of France, with cost being the main weakness, in general what the government offers pregnant women seems ideal: working mothers who are expecting a child are entitled to sixteen weeks total of paid leave, six weeks before the estimated delivery date and an additional ten weeks after the birth of the child, with varying stipulations for multiple births and for families with dependent children. There are also laws in place to ensure job protection, allowing mothers to return to their same positions and salaries after their leave comes to an end. And the benefits do not rest uniquely with mothers; a law was recently created which provides working fathers the opportunity to take up to two weeks of paid time off, regardless of their employment contract, within the first four months of a child’s birth. With maternity and paternity leave policies such as these, the temptation for working couples to start families seems difficult to resist. But as previously indicated, allocating parents the aforementioned benefits is not without its expenses, and it was noted that in 2006 France spent fifteen percent of its annual budget towards family and child services. So what, in effect, is driving the state to offer such generous compensations to expecting parents?

National Public Radio (NPR) recently aired a program about the controversy Rachida Dati’s fleeting maternity leave caused in France, highlighting the outrage from feminists in the country who perceive her refusal to take the full sixteen weeks of leave to which she is entitled as a move that “could be used to undermine hard-won and generous maternity rights.” The fury resulting from this situation brings to light the question as to whether or not the rationale behind France's maternity leave is directly related to the women’s rights movement. Undeniably, the current French policy demonstrates a commitment to mothers’ rights while simultaneously supporting the continued existence of women in the workplace, a notion that maintains the feminist goal of securing rights and opportunities for women that are equal to those of men. The debate over Dati’s actions and if she is indeed a traitor to her sex or Wonder Woman is, in this inquiry, a moot point; the curious angle this discussion brings up is if women’s rights were a key, motivating factor behind the French maternity leave laws. A very likely possibility is that women’s rights had little to do with the initial reasons for creating such a system in France, and instead the real goal was to promote a higher national birth rate. In recent years especially, birth rates in European countries have lowered steadily, causing the working-age population to shrink and creating a worrisome trend for heads of state in the European Union. Although the threat of a European extinction seems extremely dubious, the cause for worry remains financially driven, and as was stated in a BBC News article “demographic decline causes anxiety because it is thought to go hand in hand with economic decline” as “with fewer, younger workers to pay the health and pension bills of an elderly population, states face an unprecedented fiscal burden.” But while in general birth and fertility rates in Europe are consistently decreasing, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the birth rate in France has continued to climb in such a manner that the country is now holding the position of “Europe’s fertility champion.” This emergence as the number one baby-producing European country is a development that many believe has to do with the incentives the government offers to those who have children.

In addition to its benefits in regards to maternity and paternity leave, France also affords universal, full-time preschool starting at age three, stipends for in-home nannies, subsidized daycare before age three, monthly childcare allowances, and tax and transportation breaks for families with children. With enticements such as these, it is easy to understand how the state has been successful with its pro-natal policies while concurrently encouraging women to resume working, a vital step in maintaining the financial livelihood of a country. As the global economy takes a turn for the worse, however, and as President Sarkozy (see left) looks to cut costs à la américaine, it is questionable as to how much longer France will be able to sustain such programs. To be sure, with an annual cost of $102 million dollars and the president’s urging for a shorter maternity leave, the system will most likely be subject to reforms in the near future.

Le Début: Gathering and Evaluating Resources

While it seems that as a result of globalization and increasing technological advances cultural differences are being rendered more negligible everyday, there are without a doubt some qualities that remain unique to specific cultures. France, a country known for fine wine, food, and art, is also a country that is known for a quality of life that provides its citizens with an exceptional joie de vivre that is unparalleled by other countries. This blog is intended to be a way to explore how the commitment to continue this way of life has affected not only the citizens of France but also the functionality of the French political body. As such, I’ve compiled a linkroll of relevant websites to support and enhance my blog, using search engines such as Metacrawler, WorldNews Network, and Google to locate pertinent news sources, organizations, blogs, and research sites. As a way to facilitate sifting through the plethora of information available on the Internet, I used the criteria set forth by The Webby Awards and the IMSA criteria. The guidelines delineated by the aforementioned institutions provided insight as to what constitutes an excellent source on the web, evaluating work based on content, visual design, functionality, authority, structure and navigation, interactivity, and overall experience. Some of the assets I subsequently added include France-Amérique, a semi-monthly French news magazine (see above), France-Diplomatie, a site pertaining to the role of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the world, and Persée, a database of French journals dealing with the humanities and social sciences. With the maturation of my blog, I will continue to update my linkroll with appropriate and interesting sources; I’m truly looking forward to using "Je Ne Sais Quoi" as a way not only to further delve into the evolving French political and cultural scene, but also as a way to gain new perspectives on the subject matter from fellow members of the blogosphere.