Oped
Whether national or international, the news always needs a second opinion. Check out our op-ed section for a different perspective on the stories making headlines in France and abroad. Commentators from the France 24 newsroom give you their take on the world's hot-button issues.
Stand by your man if he’s a ‘perv’? It’s a non-issue
Another political sex scandal, another intelligent, competent, but bewildered wife thrust under the spotlight. This time it’s Denis Baupin, a prominent French politician who resigned as one of France’s six deputy speakers Monday over sexual assault allegations. Baupin was a former member of the...
The EU cuts a cynical deal with Turkey and migrants are left to stew
So, the latest EU-Turkey migrant draft deal is being hailed as a “game changer,” which is the sort of thing people say after they’ve drunk the Brussels Kool Aid. On March 4, in a hail of tear gas and water cannons, the Turkish government took over Zaman – the country’s largest opposition...
When Tsar Putin takes on Sultan Erdogan, Turkey loses
Remember the time Turkish strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan stood tall and strong in the Arab world, facing down Israel on the Gaza blockade and blasting Egypt’s Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for ousting fellow Islamist Mohamed Morsi? The irascible “Kasimpasa man” -- as he likes to describe himself after...
Who’s looking out for Afghanistan’s abused boys?
Cradling a massive automatic rifle, his little head encased in an oversized helmet, Wasil Ahmad gazed into the camera with an air of seriousness and self-importance disturbing for a boy his age. In an another photograph -- which also made the social media rounds last year -- the 10-year-old...
Business boosts Modi’s new ‘bromance’ with Hollande
The stage was set a week before French President François Hollande arrived in India Sunday, with a threatening letter sent to the French consulate in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru, better known as Bangalore. The letter, “signed by al Qaeda,” suggested Hollande drop his plans to visit...
Déjà vu time: France’s political dance with the far right
So, the National Front “almost won” the latest elections, sparking yowls of alarm, tortured national introspection and a swell of collective self-flagellation. That was after the Dec. 6 regional elections first round – the first since the deadly Nov. 13 Paris attacks – which saw the far right...
So much has changed in a week
As we prepare for the first edition of The World This Week since the Paris attacks, last Friday seems like a long, long time ago. Our topics that evening included the visit of the Indian prime minister to the UK, the recapture of Sinjar in Iraq and accusations of state-sponsored doping in...
So much has changed in a week
As we prepare for the first edition of The World This Week since the Paris attacks, last Friday seems like a long, long time ago. Our topics that evening had included the visit of the Indian prime minister to the UK, the recapture of Sinjar in Iraq and accusations of state-sponsored doping in...
Drama and indifference at the UN General Assembly
As world leaders pour into New York for climate talks and the annual United Nations General Assembly, mid-Manhattan is on high alert and overrun with individuals sporting the conspicuous secret service uniform of sunglasses, earpieces, and suits. The assembly’s stand-out performers of recent...
Deconstructing The Iraq And Syria Conflicts
The current escalating sectarian violence between the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Iraqi forces and the unending civil war in Syria are now intertwined and neither can be resolved without the other, which requires a dramatic change in the political and military landscape in Syria and...
Syria: The Forgotten
Imagine the face of a little boy walking while holding his father’s hand, when suddenly the father plunges onto the ground with a bullet in his head. “Oh my God,” the boy screams, “God, please Baba don’t leave me, no, no please, please don’t leave me this way.” Another bullet shatters the boy’s...
Syria: Geneva 2's tragic charade
It is hard to imagine that representatives of the 30 countries that assembled in Geneva actually believed that they could find a political solution to the Syrian civil war. Given the differing strategic interests in Syria of the powers within and outside the region, reaching a consensus to end the...
Hollande in Turkey: no more questions please
It’s the political equivalent of showing up with flowers and walking straight into a bar room brawl. The pitfalls lie not so much in François Hollande’s relationship status update. The break-up with partner Valérie Trierweiler aside, when Hollande touches down Monday for the long-overdue first...
The Gayet Affair : What Hollande should have said
Below is what I wish Hollande had said – but didn’t – at Tuesday’s press conference. “Good afternoon, Before I start, I want to address an issue that has been making headlines and sparking a debate not just here in France, but in the foreign press as well. It concerns my private life – to be...
