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6/16/2001 - France: Then and Now by Jean Benoît Nadeau

ICWA LETTERS Since Institute Current World Affairs Crane Rogers Foundation provided fellowships enable outstanding young professionals outside United States write about international areas issues An exempt operating foundation endowed Charles R Crane Institute supported contributions minded individuals foundations TRUSTEES Joseph Battat Mary Lynne Bird Steven Butler William F Foote Kitty Hempstone Pramila Jayapal Peter Bird Martin Ann Mische Dasa Obereigner Paul A Rahe Carol Rose Chandler Rosenberger John Spencer Edmund Sutton Dirk J Vandewalle HONORARY TRUSTEES David Elliot David Hapgood Pat M Holt Edwin S Munger Richard H Nolte Albert Ravenholt Phillips Talbot Institute Current World Affairs The Crane Rogers Foundation Four West Wheelock Street Hanover New Hampshire 03755 U S A JBN EUROPE RUSSIA Jean Beno Nadeau Fellow Institute studying resistance French trend economic cultural globalization France Then Now A final newsletter report delivered ICWA Members Trustees meeting Monmouth University June By Jean Beno Nadeau I share secret Only After being awarded fellowship June months leave Paris mostly because I extremely nervous about I about I study Why French resist economic cultural globalization which sounds grand grandiose But crying study France And globalization exactly What I thinking Of France I little My previous years particularly great During weeks I spent there French hardly spoke I single meaningful conversation My recollection somewhat somber people particularly terested anything outside It turned I later learned other people impres And I returned convinced I Frenchman living America American speaking French I nervous because I somewhat conscious Unlike fellows I wouldn living drinking camel eating steaks fighting dengue fever typhoid I wouldn fellow fellows reports would pretty I would living Paris O Half jokingly Peter Martin called luxury fellow implicit I bring results proportion fellowship Before leaving I received pieces advice I found liberating The first David Hapgood I Washington I I Don worry Jean Benoit Most fellows change their theme study after months That there No obligations The other advice Peter occasion meeting about three weeks before departure As I relaxed Peter house sipping Martini I expressed concerns And Peter Aha always Jean Benoit cultivate first impressions I think Don think absorb impressions nurture especially first Because first pressions there first around yours This great lesson journalism guided through The first draft resulted speech would lasted hours thirty seven minutes Don worry folks I editing I three hours nineteen The sense experience reduce nuggets strongest impressions France produced This difficult itself because French impressions My first impressions France varied paradoxical Why discreet table their phones train Why understood perfectly I meant How creative authoritarian school family Why doesn service provider choose password How reporters brilliantly expose complex ideas cannot avoid coming adjectives without bothering How civil servants diligent store clerks nasty And O right front stoop Impressions great working taking notes speech collection those I three boxes One Time rather present together Another concept privacy determines behavior pillow Kosovo Lastly French conception State their original contribution For section I share theory which nounced The section future France changing theory But before I I couple things about When I speak observations impression sometimes You Julie Barlow partner We Montreal fourteen years She learned French tenacity began correcting En glish perseverance learned together accommodate decode cultural differences She fantastic writer powers observa She traveled during fellowship Israel twice Turkey twice Armenia Georgia Tunisia Netherlands Italy Spain I remember returning Turkey Israel sharing notes I still stage noticing different France respect Canada United States remark You The French world Julie would I without In retrospect Julie remark guided flection French The reason since about Day Two I already convinced topic I study Why The French Resist Globalization wrong This awful especially since topic imposed coming misunderstanding Everywhere I looked I perous people mixed origins about going world people influential influenced The question Why Do The French Resist Globalization sounded sanctimonious holier could summed saying Why retarded Which question really In other I understood I there judge French understand there world differ So instead considering original question I began examining French Having delve first topic Time It difficult assess French respect primarily French world Just before Julie I Montreal I asked French friend where I could furniture Paris He I chosen great arrive because weeks January February known Les Soldes The sales During Les Soldes stores their merchandize The small shops retailers police permission announce And police Les Soldes which Marseille Calais What interesting about tradition comes It comes guilds Middle Ages which associations merchants Guilds purpose protecting tradesmen against JBN Nadeau family members Monmouth competition against another These guilds standards quality pricing bread instance could contain percent Guilds managed members pension plans Members abide rules their broken local Guilds called Provost Nowadays Provosts business system control still effective nonetheless As sometimes difficult French exactly One strongest impressions occurred during June La Roche Guyon small Paris Seine river The location quite spectacular because meander cliffs white chalk about meters On highest right La Roche Guyon stands century dungeon Be there Renaissance castle And cliff castle there bunker where Rommel conducted defense Normandy against Allied invasion perspective anyway As walked across I noticed homes about straight cliff In effect these houses which currently inhabited dwellings French facade miles Paris forget Once again What French The month June there elections European Parliament And surprise French seats captured party called Hunting Fishing Nature Tradition This party created protest European regulations hunting You there million hunters France This hunters Hunting French political first aristocratic privileges removed onset French revolution hunting When monarchy established twenty years later first thing restore hunting privilege At revolution removed And And forth Once French The following parents visit Perigord region south Limoges Bordeaux One I found particularly interesting Les Eyzies along river V All prehistory buffs Les Eyzies where found tified first sapiens Cro Magnon Paleolithic Age which began million years The Cro Magnon language Occitan dialects southern France means literally Mr Magnon Hole It happened Mr Magnon bright installing right where first known Frenchman years under This historical continuity doesn chance So I offer Wild Theory Number One least three French aborigines France We New World associate modernity something novel arrived spacecraft outside pushed aside every tradi build something entirely But France Institute Current World Affairs world using sometimes replacing sometimes In Cort conquered Mexico Aztecs stayed around ended sending space rockets orbit The French archaic modern They invented metric system civil speed trains Concorde first speak Human Rights relish traditions native borrowed And De Gaulle ordered development French tronautics toyed establishing archy So consider country France mistake contrast progress tradition France really world Mind I deter minism Things change traditions rowed A example famous little piece pastry called croissant In French It Austrian bakers during siege Vienna Turks century Croissant means crescent little pastry making light attackers emblem And famous Austrian Marie Antoinette brought pastry French court century later The second topic I wanted address concept privacy It takes quite while French cause strong idiosyncracies customs One bizarre vital understand habit saying bonjour enter store revoir leave The pitch right syllable pronounced always W rewar It understand where funny habit saying bonjour revoir It comes particular French understanding privacy In North America store extension space indoors In France other around The extension owner should something This service store France There enter bonjour heard everyone BONJOUR The definition private public space French differences The French about personal issues regarded matters North Americans Asking someone occupation right No No At hotels I often invited inside homes people never asked never theirs In their personal tions build friendships French private All beneficial because forces people about something beside themselves therefore conversation Another impact privacy understanding morality The French presi dents cigars intimacy their office living bedroom Sure dinner parties about president mistress illegitimate daughter necessarily public press instance By extension politicians accountable things This garded private Another ramification notion privacy respect proprieties For matter absolutely Raymonde Carroll Cultural Misunderstandings She French nologist married America ethnologist which itself ethnological experiment sorts My favorite chapter about couples rather people expect proper behavior public couple Accord Carroll typical American couple seeks harmony Spouses rarely contradict other public outwardly support another Ar guing criticizing another public regarded distasteful dysfunctional The French expect opposite relationship should strong enough withstand differences which normal All these displayed To French there something wrong couple contradict another public display constant harmony Here I offer Wild Theory Number In Raymonde Carroll observations apply interna tional relations especially couple France United States On important issues Americans would nothing better perfect harmony agree Whereas French think relationship strong enough withstand strong ferences public Naturally angers Americans French understand about Now third topic I about French concept State I reason France raises interest precisely because birth place State And everything France relates State somehow All OECD statistics France JBN ceives seventy million tourists seventy million This airport traffic average Seventy million tourists This figure world US forty million Every wants France feels gives strong reasons having never One reason France means something I figured years realize actually meant Great cuisine Sure Splendid architecture planning Yes Great culture Indeed But there something So Wild Theory Number Four centuries Europe Religion waged scene Anyone sense realized changes needed feudal order ensure better economic output better manpower general betterment living conditions People found tions And I solutions quotes because everyone while understand One solution abroad create society working different principles ethics values It centuries before Frenchman Alexis Tocqueville Democracy America title something working Hey Look Come Wow It Frenchman identified about because French found other solution It called State The original entity would actually function arbitra between aristocracy people between Catholics Protestants between Revolution aries Royalists between Republicains Catholics between Right Left And would purpose State subjects later citizens single national identity The French State running before French Revolution dimensions after So special about revolution Simply The French attempted export impose their neighboring countries With great success cause features French State tated copied elsewhere Turkey prime ample Germany But original France It State created nation tremely balkanized country other around It State lingo spoken Paris forced others It State determined standards beauty taste It State decides general interest It State arbitrates conflict It State maximizes national output Sure perfectly horrible things certainly future But splendid things which create France Adam Gopnik Peter Martin former Fellow Nadeau listen fellowship music Jean Benoit Julie Barlow Institute Current World Affairs author Paris Moon wrote State French mentality place Constitu occupies American mindset He could right Last summer I Monmouth University seventy fifth anniversary Institute struck US Canada habit people taken always using adjectives competent corrupt spoke politicians civil servants In fulfilling prophecy After service expect In France rarely language public surprise their public services generally regarded since expect One survey World Health Organization ranked France first quality healthcare The United States ranked thirty ninth although spends twice capita In opinion expla nation comes French tremely opinion expectations regards public service general interest which particular interests Or Quebec because everyone shovels front their house street clear You notice notion globaliza conspicuously absent speech It because I realized Day Two question pertinent More importantly there three other forces factors determinant impact France future They Peace democracy Europe Having I Wild Theory Number Before I explain story happened Wednesday June I trying finish Institute report A siren began another again another The Kosovo dragging I thought That The Russians sided Serbs BBQ Fearing I would Kentucky Fried minute I thought I should window I looked street Everyone walked calmly A couple seconds later sirens stopped Since world appeared coming I resumed Suddenly minutes later sirens started again It couple month figure these sirens stations halls They activated twice every first Wednesday month practice The first beginning alert second streak minutes later alert This extent penetrated society France Permanent danger strong pervasive State necessary Af Strasbourg closer Soviet tanks Paris This present episode peace which started longest Eu centuries Peace having immeasurable impact society mestic foreign aggression For mandatory military service young under visible effect state permanent peace Democracy another custom change French Isn France democracy Yes sense functioning constitution established years Since creation Par liament French through cratic regimes monarchies empires fascist dictatorship Most these regimes changed because revolution After seizing power means De Gaulle established first working democ The French slightly older first democratic system foreseeably stable institutions which adhere The French beginning witness degree tolerance respect institutions unheard This without growing pains The present accountability politicians devoluted powers regions examples change Europe third factor change least predictable Who would three years French economy would suddenly boomed simply result creation single currency Nobody knows Europe Will France become province jurisdiction within bigger federation state loose Canadian style confedera strong state trading Who knows The certainty about Europe All UN OECD demographic statistics relative weight France Europe respect Ger How Simply because generation after WWII enough German babies By population Germany expected million whereas French popula remain stable about million people This German population fantastic implications conduct European affairs As matter Institute should someone quickly because Germany Europe It written statistics What France Who French I I snapshot I Millennium useful It great privilege camera while I would thanks memory founder Charles Crane He first JBN A fellowship toast around table Trustee Vandewalle Avuncle Hapgood Spouse Julie director Walter Rogers created fantastic formula There other great fellowships reward accomplish ments basis future devel opment Who offers people under possibility living dilettante years really really really unearned income Another thanks globe trotting director Peter Martin Peter trusted first place Peter advice Fellow business future projects Peter I seeing times Paris For Paris feast Another thanks three mentors Each Fellow Institute appointed mentors comment first drafts their newsletters Mine Judson Gooding David Hapgood Miranda Toulouse Lautrec Their advice saved ridicule For instance newsletter I paraphrasing Hemingway saying I would always Paris Immediately David Hapgood responded You Paris But quote Humphrey Bogart Casablanca That mentors As matter I extend thanks ICWA members friends their support comments clippings I happy questions You topic The recipe crepes where Cham pagne which sells cheapest draught Paris region You Institute Current World Affairs ICWA Letters ISSN published I Current World Affairs Inc exempt ating foundation incorporated New York State offices located West Wheelock Street Hanover NH 03755 The letters provided charge members ICWA available libraries professional researchers subscription Phone E Mail ICWA valley Fax Web Site Executive Director Peter Bird Martin Program Assistant Brent Jacobson Publications Manager Ellen Kozak Institute Current World Affairs The Crane Rog Foundation The information contained publica reproduced without writer permission Author Nadeau Jean Beno Title ICWA Letters Europe Russia ISSN Imprint Institute Current World Affairs Hanover NH Material Type Serial Language English Frequency Monthly Other Regions Sub Saharan Africa East Asia South Asia Mideast North Africa The Americas Institute Fello chosen basis character previous experi promise They young professionals funded spend minimum years carrying designed programs study writing outside United States The Fellows required their findings experiences field month They write subject formally informally The result unique reporting analysis periodic assessment international events issues