Next spring’s French presidential contest is shaping up as a battle between the right and the far right. Will a majority coalesce around the right-wing candidate to keep the far right out of power as in 2002? Will a viable challenger emerge on the le
Arthur Goldhammer
Arthur Goldhammer is a writer, translator, and Affiliate of the Center for European Studies at Harvard. He blogs at French Politics. Follow him on Twitter: @artgoldhammer.
Posted inAmerica and the World
In France, Another Stunning Election Upset
Former Prime Minister François Fillon crushes the opposition in the first round of the primary for the presidential nomination of the center-right Republican primary. The winner of the runoff could well become France’s next president—if he can beat Marine Le Pen.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
The Evil Demons of Our Nature
From Lincoln to Trump: Are we witnessing an irrevocable change in the American soul or a temporary warp in the “arc of the moral universe,” which will someday again “bend toward justice”?
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
My Great Depression
Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will, counseled Antonio Gramsci. But in 2016, pessimism is gaining the upper hand.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Us and Them: A Tale of Two Electorates
In both France and the United States, substantial numbers of voters feel deprived of voice and eager to identify with pugnacious politicians prepared to transgress what used to be the limits of political respectability.
Posted inCivil Rights in America
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Angela Merkel Suffers Backlash against Her Immigration Policy
German Chancellor Angela Merkel pays the price for her open-door policy toward refugees as her party suffers a stunning defeat in her home state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
The Great Paradox
Arlie Hochschild’s new book grapples with The Great Paradox: Why is hatred of government most intense among people who need government services most?
Posted inLaw and Justice
New World (Dis)Order
In 1991 George H.W. Bush promised a “New World Order.” A quarter of a century later, we’re finally catching a glimpse of it—like it or not.
Posted inLaw and Justice
A Turn in European Terror
Targets of terror in France and Germany have shifted from well-defened government facilities to more vulnerable public spaces.Â
Posted inAmerica and the World
Terror on the Bay of Angels
France is on the verge of losing its grip in the wake of repeated mass murder by members of its own minority communities.
