[The
Telegraph, U.K.]
Le Monde, France
Man Who Coined the Term 'Hyperpower'
Opines on the Future
"We have taken ourselves for
the Olympian rulers of the world. We have decided whom to sanction, whom to
bomb … The Western monopoly on history is over … one day we may speak of the
'rights-of-manists' having no more influence over
China than the Catholic missionaries."
-- Hubert Védrine, Foreign
Minister of France from 1997-2002
By Corine
Lesnes, Washington correspondent
Translated by L. McKenzie Zeiss
January 14, 2008
France
- Le Figaro - Original Article (French)
Is democratization "a
legitimate objective" of Western policy? It's been eleven years since
Madeline Albright and Hubert Védrine began debating
the question. The former American Secretary of State can still hear the voice
of her French counterpart interrupting the hum of telephone conference calls
about Kosovo: "Paris would like a word!" Today, their points of view
have grown closer. "Madeleine" is less flamboyant. "Blame George
Bush," she says, for "giving democracy a bad reputation." Hubert
Védrine fears a multi-polar coalition of the world
against "us, the Westerners," but he sees the United States remaining in a favorable position to dominate,
although it's a position that seems less than assured.
Invited to Washington by the
Brookings Institution and the French Embassy to mark the publication of the
English version of his book, Continuer l’Histoire (Fayard, 2007) -
in its English title, History Strikes
Back: How States, Nations, and Conflicts Are Shaping the 21st Century - Mr.
Védrine discussed with his former counterpart [Albright], his reflections on
the state of the world in the days leading up to the inauguration of Barack
Obama on January 20.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
Védrine continues to be wary of idealists. More than the old
ideas of the Enlightenment, he thinks perhaps that protecting the environment
will become a universal value in the future. For him, Westerners have sinned by
their arrogance since the downfall of the USSR: "We have taken ourselves
for the Olympian rulers of the world. We have decided whom to sanction, whom to
bomb …"
'END OF LEASE'
[L'Hebdo, Switzerland]
For Védrine, former Minister of Foreign Affairs under Jacques
Chirac and Lionel Jospin from 1997 to 2002,
"today these rulers "no longer truly control the system."
Witness "the impressive lack of results" of Western diplomacy:
"We haven’t even succeeded in convincing the Burmese" to allow the
entry of humanitarian aid. In Hubert Védrine’s view,
Westerners have fumbled about, confused about their priorities. "[One day]
we put pressure a country that we'll need next week in order to pressure
another," he emphasized.
Védrine pleads for a return to realism: "We can no
longer continue this Western proselytizing as if nothing has happened."
For him, the world is not yet "post-American," in the words of
editorialist Fareed Zakaria 
, but the
"Western monopoly on history is over." As the former minister sees
it, "one day we may speak of the 'rights-of-manists'
having no more influence over China than the Catholic missionaries."
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
The "disastrous"
record sheet of George Bush’s policies, according to Védrine,
gives Barack Obama a wide margin in which to
maneuver. "The entire world has faith in him, although no one knows what
he thinks or what he'll do," Védrine states.
By simply having declared
that he would hold a dialogue with dictators, Obama embodies a rupture with the
dogmatism that precedes him. Already, with this proposition alone, Obama has
engendered debate within the Iranian government.
'TIME TO WASH UP'
[Expresso,
Portugal]
On the case of the Israel-Palestine
conflict, Mr. Védrine also thinks that the United States has the means to "reverse the situation."
The former foreign minister has told questioners,
"Imagine the influence that an American president capable of settling the
Palestinian problem would have. America has this card to play. How can the
United States deprive itself [of the opportunity]?" But the essential
question remains: "Should we redo the rest of the world or should we
ourselves have to change?" Barack Obama hasn't yet expressed the heart of
his position. For the moment, his priority is to make repairs.
Courriel:
lesnes@lemonde.fr
CLICK HERE FOR FRENCH
VERSION
[Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
January 15, 6:25pm]
