Today was our last official briefing for the entire EU study abroad program. It was a bittersweet experience based on the fact that we had completed so much over the past ten weeks, but saddened by the fact that in just two days we would all be heading our separate ways. Most of us did not know what to expect while visiting the French Foreign Ministry. This was our first opportunity to sit down with someone working in the French Foreign Ministry and ask them questions and hear their perspective. We all wanted to see the contrast between the think tank and research institution, such as Ifri and OECD, perspective compared with the perceptions of the French Foreign Ministry.

Our visited started off with a brief tour of some of the entrance areas within the Quai d’Orsay. We were once again met by the opulence and grandeur that characterizes French government offices. As we walked through the halls looking at gilding and majestic ceiling paintings opening up to the heavens, we suddenly found ourselves in a room, devoid of furniture, with a small picture in the corner. One of the first things that we read while beginning our program back in Metz was the Schuman declaration. The idea of making war “materially impossible” had been an underlying theme to our study of the European Union. Of course, the EU has developed far beyond the European Coal and Steel Community; however, the essence of the Schuman declaration to start a European peace project lives on through the challenges that we now face in the modern era. At the French Foreign Ministry the group was now standing at the exact spot that Schuman boldly proposed a new future for Europe. This future would unite people throughout Europe to bring peace and prosperity. Standing in front of the fireplace, we could not help feeling the gravity of this experience. This could not have been a more perfect location for us to finish with our last briefing. In this building the European Project, the subject of our entire 10 weeks of study, was born and we were sitting in the same place discussing the future of Europe and the world.

The briefing itself was given by the Deputy Director for some of the Quai d’Orsay’s research and policy work. The content of the briefing encapsulated most of the issues that we were wrestling with over the summer. From challenges to world order to Franco-German relations and the role of France in the EU, the briefing comprehensively posed perspectives and questions about the direction of both the EU and the world. He particularly focused on the transatlantic relationship, offering the French perspective on the changes developing in the relationship and the responsibility of both France and the US. However, he offered not just commentary on the situation in the transatlantic relationship, but, also, perspectives about France’s own politics. He touched upon France’s key relationship in terms of defense with the United States. French military efforts have been increasing in order to move towards strategic autonomy. His commentary also brought in historical perspectives regarding France’s history with the US during and after the war. Charles de Gaulle played a massive role in the development of post-war France and the direction it would take going into the future. His influence and icon status continues to impact the French psyche when it comes to international affairs.

We all left the briefing with a sense of clarity, not in the sense that we had all the answers to the questions, but we had clarity in the sense that we knew what the issues were and perspectives on the issues in the modern world. This day was also marked by the birthday celebrations for Angelica Wagner. We all went and ate macarons after the visit and walked back to the hotel with optimism and excitement for working towards solving the issues of the modern world, and continuing the spirit of Schuman, Monnet, and all of the great men who believed in a different world, a world of peace and happiness for all people.

Today we had the privilege to visit the French National Assembly and the Senate, which together form the French legislative branch. On a beautiful sunny morning, we were up bright and early to catch the bus to the Assembleé Nationale. We got off at our stop right in front of the Seine river, and were received by both the staff of the Assembleé and a beautiful view of the septième arrondissement of Paris. After going through security, we watched a film explaining how the French government works right before we were given a tour of the building. The first room looked like a gigantic ballroom, but gilded and with huge mirrors and artwork everywhere. Every room thereafter was covered with paintings, beautiful tapestry, gilded ornaments, ceilings displaying the symbols and historic events that shaped the history of France, and doors with artfully crafted patterns. It was truly wonderful to be able to walk through these rooms, it felt absolutely surreal. It is also something that would be nearly impossible to do if you visited Paris only as a tourist. To put the icing on the cake, we ran into Jean Lassalle on our way out, a parliamentaire who ran for president in the last election cycle, and was able to get almost half a million votes. He shook my hand.

Inside l’Assembleé Nationale

Inside l’Assembleé Nationale

Assembleé Nationale

Library of l’Assembleé Nationale

After l’Assembleé Nationale, we took a break to walk the streets of Paris and to get lunch. We stopped at a small Creperie that had a fluffy cat welcoming the guests. After eating our savory crepe, I ordered the famous beurre sucre for dessert, which is a crepe with butter and sugar. It is simple but delicious, and it never disappoints. After taking pictures of the cat and finishing our crepes, we walked over to Le Sénat, where we were received and led by a terrific guide that made sure to explain to us all about the beautiful building we were in, including its art, its architecture and its history. Once again, we were absolutely amazed by the beauty and extravagance of the buildings. The level of detail in every painting, every marking, and every door hinge was impressive. Also, every piece of art, be it paintings, sculptures or markings, was carefully placed and positioned to add to the larger symbolism of the room, the palace, and ultimately, the French Republic.

Le Sénat

Le Sénat

Cat in the Creperie

While at Le Sénat, we got to witness a vote on legislation as spectators. Most of us non-francophones were a little lost during the session, but it was nonetheless fascinating to watch the senateurs debate and argue passionately in support of their positions. We were also honored by the visit of senateur Cristophe-André Frassa, who represents the French abroad. He joined us for a short walk through the library of the Sénat, posed for a picture with us before the end of our visit. Once outside, we walked through the Jardins du Luxembourg, a beautiful garden across Le Sénat. It was a great way to end a fantastic day of enjoying and learning about the cultural richness and beauty of France.

Group photo with senateur Cristophe-André Frassa

Our first site visit of our busiest day in Paris was to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD. The OECD began on September 30, 1961 as a joint platform between the United States, Canada, and twenty other countries to be used originally for the funds given for the economic rehabilitation of Europe in the devastating aftermath of World War II. Today, the OECD continues to recognize the interdependence of the economies of its 35 member states as well as Key Partners like India, Brazil, and China, and it works to analyze, discuss, and propose solutions to problems or barriers to economic cooperation and success. In fact, as a non-authoritative body, the OECD primarily concerns itself with this analysis, acting as an economic watchdog. Member states apply peer pressure and publish evaluations to ensure concepts like fair trade and competition are respected and upheld. We were lucky enough to have representatives of both the United States and the European Union speak to us, and they presented perspectives of their involvement within the OECD and how they differ. Notably, the U.S. representative, Georgia Tech alumnus Alexander Bryan, highlighted that the U.S.’s economic relationship in the OECD on a working level has not been altered, and he touted its key role within the Organisation, espacially as an essential watchdog with its biannual peer economic evaluations. The EU’s relationship with the OECD was interesting because it isn’t a signatory, but is rather a Special Observer. This important distinction means that while the EU has an active seat at the table of member states, it has no voting power and cannot initiate any projects. It is also does not have any obligatory financial responsibility, though it is the second-largest financier of OECD projects after the U.S. Following these two speakers, we were briefed by a representative of the Trade and Agriculture Department, who explained the challenges facing international trade such as negative public perceptions and digitalization. We were all wholly impressed with the quality and depth of the information and the speakers themselves, and left the OECD more aware of the need for economic interdependence and the proliferation of such a positive interaction within the international community.

Posing with Alexander Bryan after our excellent briefings at the OECD

Next was our visit to the George C. Marshall Fund off of the Place de la Concorde. Originally the house of the French aristocrat Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord and later the Rothschild family, the Center’s current residence is furnished with lavish wallpapers, plenty of beautiful chandeliers and intricate wood panelings, and, in true Parisian fashion, its fair share of gold leafing. Our brief tour walked us through the history of the building and showcased all of the former diplomatic apartments. We finished in a large dining room and joined a group of MBA students from Westminster for our briefing by U.S. Foreign Service Officer Suzanne Marie Yountchi. Mrs. Yountchi is the newly-installed Primary Secretary to Economic Affairs and provided a fresh perspective on not only U.S.-French economic relations, but also to the life and career of Foreign Service Officers. She also spoke on the issues presented by the digitalization of the economic market, but specifically commented on how France, as a personal project of President Macron, is trying to boost its startup industry by taking notes from Germany and the U.S. on how to encourage young entrepreneurs to stay and develop the domestic economy. Yountchi has only been in Paris for a few weeks and was very transparent about what she was learning and the process of becoming settled in an new country, and we so appreciated her taking the time to speak to us as she was still acclimating and transitioning into her new role.

Touring the George C. Marshall Center

We finished our day with a conversation at the German Marshall Fund center here in Paris.  A representative of the thinktank shared its perspectives on French politics, France’s activity and place within the international community, and France’s relationship with the European Union. One of the most interesting points our speaker commented on was President Macron’s perceived misjudgment of how to manage the France-U.S. relationship with the Trump administration. He stated that Macron seemed believe that following his visit to the White House and meeting with Trump, which was generally perceived as positive and constructive, he thought the resulting relationship was strong enough to influence Trump’s attitudes on issues like the Paris Climate Agreement, the U.S. relationship with the EU, and the JCPOA, or the Iran Deal. However, when Macron had no impact on any of Trump’s statements or action, he found himself depleted of social capital with nothing to show for it, and has since taken a much harder stance against the current U.S. administration’s policy. Later, I had the opportunity to ask how he foresees France responding to the U.S. and UK’s isolationist policies and resulting power void and shift in world order, and he echoed the Franco-German partnership that many of our other speakers also predicted emerging in the coming years. This, to me, is evidence of the success of the European Union’s original mission as a peace project between France and Germany. Time and time again, experts and professionals in economics, politics, society, or some combination of all three pointed to this relationship as becoming a leading world power, both within the EU and globally. 

Discussing French current political affairs at the German-Marshall Fund

Today was generally full of optimistic and intellectually-stimulating conversations about stable working relationships between publicly at-odds entities, the continued successes of post-WWII-era projects, and the future of the international community. There are plenty of challenges that have either presented themselves in full force, are only beginning to emerge, or are predicted to materialize in the future, but there are equally as many organizations and individuals who are ready to respond to these challenges with an equal amount of gusto and determination. As I look at the itinerary for the remainder of the week and the conclusion of our time here in Europe, I realize how much progress we have made and how much we have grown as students over the past nine weeks. Not only do we have extensive exposure to a dozen of current event topics, developments, and crises, but we are able to have in-depth conversations with experts about these issues in a very engaged and intellectual way that I would bet none of us foresaw on May 14 back in Metz. Since this is my last post, I would like to emphasize how much I have appreciated the opportunities and experiences this study abroad has provided me, and how grateful I have been to be able to learn and see so much and to meet so many incredible people. I look forward to benefitting even more from our last site visits and to spending our remaining week together here in Paris!

After much preparation today was finally the day to show off the accumulation of knowledge we had gain over the past nine weeks on transatlantic relations. This was done in the form of our EU-U.S. simulation. The nineteen students of our program split into two teams. These two teams, one representing the U.S. interest and one representing the interest of the European Union, disputed three key policy foreign policy areas. We did this at Science Po, a renowned political science university in Paris. These policy areas being security policy (stance on the JCPOA), internet policy (stance on the GDPR and AI), and trade policy. For example, I found myself representing the interest of the European Union of the issue of security policy in regard to the United States withdrawing from the Iran Deal or JCPOA. Each of the six working groups came up with a two page policy stance paper that was then presented by a representation in a five minute speech at the beginning of the session. After each group presented their stance our teams split of to reconvene with our policy expert counterparts. As I was in the working group discussing the Iran Deal, I only gained this perspective in terms of debate. We discussed the current positions of both sides as well as what was plausible given Iran and other gulf countries’ stance in the region. It is an extremely complex issue with many moving parts and in our limited time discussing and deliberating our teams agreed to work towards policy that would bring the United States back into the agreement eliminating the need for secondary exemptions to tariffs put on European companies that do business with Iran.

This is a very different approach to what is being discussed currently in politics but isn’t completely outside the realm of possibility. After this portion of the simulation we went back to the entire EU team and presented our joint agreement. The other groups commented and added amendments then we returned to our policy expert groups to write up our stance that would then be combined to with the other groups pieces to make a two page Joint Position Paper that was then presented to the “press” at the end of the simulation.

After the simulation we left Science Po and headed over to IFRI by metro. IFRI stands for institut francais des relations internationals. They are ranked the second most influential think tank in the world and were founded by Thierry de Montbrial in 1979 to analysis international issues and global political systems. The information gathered and analyzed policy experts is used by political and economic decision-makers as well as academics, opinion leaders, and civil society representatives.

Our briefings at IFRI were done by Head of Security Division on French foreign policy priorities; expert on Ukraine crisis and relations with Russia; and an expert on counter-terrorism efforts and French security and defense policies. Our first speaker outlined 3 areas of focus that would be discussed during our time there. Those being European Defense policy, defense spending and a jihadi terrorist profile. He then went on to explain the first topic which highlights the French perspective in terms of defense policy. The speaker pinpointed the need for strategic autonomy while discussing defense policy and while this makes sense in theory there are 3 key problems that arise with this line of thinking. For one there is no exact definition for this term which can lead to asymmetry in its interpretation. Two, because of this strategic autonomy can be used to justify vagueness when it comes to coordination by the European Defense community. Thirdly, the defense community is also dealing with a burden sharing problem that is currently being addressed at the NATO summit and we will have to wait and see how this issue plays out among nation states. In terms of defense spending and budgeting specifically our second speaker gave us an update on where the French are. There are more than 30,000 soldiers in operations despite the tight budget. It is increasing however but still stretched too thin. France is conducting operations in Lebanon, Northern Africa, and the Balkan States as well as other regions. Macron has stated they plan to increase their budget by 1.7 million euros each year over the next 4 years and by 3 million the 2 years after that. Our speaker seems skeptical about the achievability of this plan, so it will be interesting to watch in the coming years. Our last and final speaker did a presentation on the jihadist terrorist profile that he had created using data analysis in his study. HE provided us with very interesting insight on the subject and open our eyes to the impact this struggle still has on their community overall. After our guests graciously answered our question the group then went back to change and spend our remaining few hours of the day watching all of Paris celebrate the return of France’s very own World Cup Champions as they paraded through the streets.

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