Africa out of the game
Jean-Paul Coupet, Montpellier (Hérault)
In 1962, René Dumont warned: “Black Africa is off to a bad start.” Sixty years later, his prognosis is confirmed. I cannot help but compare the situation in former French West Africa with that of another of our colonies, Vietnam. This country was treated even worse, with a war against France and another against the United States. However, today, with its hardworking hands and ingenuity, Vietnam competes with China in the manufacture of telephones and computers. As for its GDP, it increased from 9 billion in 1980 to 406 billion. In Africa, some blame the former colonizer for the lamentable state of their country. The Vietnamese took care of themselves without asking anyone. (“Putsch in Africa: France out of the game”L’Express of September 7.)
Abaya: let’s defend our identity…
Christian Le Bihan (Paris)
Thank you for this beautiful article which defends our cultural identity! We are tired of being walked on! I would like to add this reflection: French people who live abroad, particularly in Islamic lands, respect the laws and customs of the host country. It would never occur to anyone to break these rules. Why couldn’t we benefit from such behavior? (“The “clothing police” is the abaya“, L’Express of August 31.)
…and secularism
Damien Desserre, Saint-Pierre-des-Corps (Indre-et-Loire)
I fully approve of the government’s decision, validated by the Council of State, to ban the abaya in public schools. No attack on secularism can be accepted. More than ever, we must protect it and give nothing in the face of fundamentalism. The stability of the Republican pact is at stake. No doubt we should even add the word “secularism” to our country’s motto. (“The “clothing police” is the abaya”L’Express of August 31.)
Mélenchon’s contradictions
Valentin Milon, Bonchamp-lès-Laval (Mayenne)
As Camus said, “to name things badly is to add to the misfortune of this world.” Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s “self-defense strategy” makes me think of a chicken whose head has been cut off and which continues to squawk without measure or reasoning. In fact, it harms him more than it helps him. By systematically qualifying any political divergence as “extreme right”, he contributes to the normalization of this term by extending it to positions which in no way correspond to it. This contributes to weakening efforts to raise awareness and mobilize against truly extreme ideologies. Furthermore, this posture risks undermining his credibility with his voters and collaborators, who are looking for a leader capable of engaging in dialogue rather than disqualifying any disagreement. (“Abaya: the lesson of left-wing voters to Mélenchon and the ecologists“, L’Express of September 7.)
“Mouldy Left”
Maurice Trap, Cavalaire-sur-Mer (Var)
Another article by Abnousse Shalmani which should be covered by Social Security as the medication is so clear! His analysis of the behavior of the “moldy left” corresponds exactly to what I expect from your magazine to inform me and help me shed light on the world. Ease of reading, fluidity, informed opinion, but no obligation to follow treatment. We want more! (“The Medina controversy is the moldy left resurrected“, L’Express of August 31.)
Nuclear and ideology
Chantal Bourry, Jonzac (Charente-Maritime)
In various articles that you publish, the assertion that we are anti-nuclear recurs by ideology and pronuclear by reason. It is a judgment marked by subjectivity. Strong arguments are put forward to defend one or the other position. Pro-nuclear is Jean-Marc Jancovici, anti-nuclear is Bernard Laponche, who worked at the Atomic Energy Commission; both are engineers and polytechnicians. (“Eco-friendly and pro-nuclear, the new norm?“, L’Express of September 7.)
L’Express partner of the Geopolitical Meetings of Trouville-sur-Mer
Orchestrated by geopolitologist Frédéric Encel, columnist at L’Express, the Trouville-sur-Mer Geopolitical Meetings this year put the spotlight on the seas and oceans. On the program: three days of round tables at the Casino Barrière, where the vital issues represented by these spaces covering more than 72% of the surface of the globe will be discussed. Impact of rising water levels on riparian states; extension of exclusive economic zones; openings of new maritime routes; tensions over the law of the sea; return of piracy; increased migratory flows; exploitation of the abyss; rivalries between great powers in the Arctic and the Indo-Pacific… If, as Yves Lacoste says, “geography is primarily used to wage war”, seas and oceans constitute one of the illustrations. More information : meetingsgeopolitics.fr