German Marshall Fund Re-cap of 2024
Dr Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer, acting President of the German Marshall Fund, met with 12 members of the AAPA via Zoom from her headquarters in Brussels to share her observations on key events of 2024. The re-election of Donald Trump is a confirmation of a deep trend that has been shaping US domestic and foreign policy over the past 15-20 years, she said. Having recently visited 10 US states,…
US Embassy Background Briefing
Some two dozen members of the AAPA met in person on December 17 with Kimberley Krhounek, Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs at the US Embassy, Paris, for an off-the-record briefing. Focusing on the interregnum between President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump, Ms Krhounek fielded questions regarding the war in Ukraine, tariffs and trade, the fall of Syria, Vladimir Putin's…
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac and his Vetements for Notre Dame
The French designer invited us to his atelier in Paris 17eme to present the vestments he designed for the re-opening of Notre Dame cathedral in December. A total of 700 ornaments and robes for all who officiate in the Mass, from archbishop, to bishop, priests, acolytes, etc, will be created using the facilities of haute couture association 19M.
Freelancers Seminar in Partnership with the NUJ
The AAPA in partnership with the Paris branch of the National Union of Journalists held a day long seminar for freelancers on Saturday, November 16. Some 3 participants joined the event held at the Bourse du Travail, Paris 10eme. Three panel discussion were held on key topics facing freelancers today. Participants had the opportunity to network over lunch mid=day and at a networking…
Dissident Russian journalist Andrei Loshak: "Broken Ties"
The Dissident Club in Paris was a fitting setting for our screening of "Broken Ties," a look at the impact Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine had on Russian families, produced by dissident Russian journalist Andrei Loshak. Andrei told us of his experiences since the invasion during our evening discussion on November 11. Well-known and respected as a journalist/filmmaker in Russia and…
“He (Trump) doesn’t really like us” — Europe fears the fallout of US elections
AAPA meeting with transatlantic expert Nicole Bacharan. Europeans are closely tracking Tuesday’s US elections, with many fearful of what a second Trump presidency will mean for the NATO alliance, trade, the war in Ukraine and the spreading Middle East conflict, analyst Nicole Bacharan told the AAPA recently — even as his rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, remains a largely unknown quantity for…
No Life for Afghan Women
AAPA member Kami Rice, editor of AnthrowCircus.com, brought her neighbor in Caen, Raha Sepehr, to the Dissident Club in Paris Oct. 14 to call attention to the plight of women in Afghanistan. « The life of women? Finished ! » she told the assembled journalists and visitors assembled. « The Taliban wants to keep women … in the survival mode, the worst situation for a human being. » Ms. Sepehr…
The Laptop is the Criminal's Most Powerful Weapon
Organized crime has gone online in a big way, says Interpol's outgoing Secretary General. Jurgen Stock, who headed the international law enforcement agency for the past decade, spoke to the AAPA on September 4, in the Blomberg auditorium. Crime is big business, he told us, explaining the evolution of "crime as a service" -- the sale of ransomware and other Internet software designed to…
Tommie Smith is in Paris for the Olympic Games
Have you ever met a rock star? Or a famous scientist? Or, why not – the President of the United States? I have to say no to all three – but I can now say that I have met the man whose protest against injustice to Blacks shook the world. That man is Tommie Smith, the 6’ 5” Black athlete who won the sprint finals at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico, breaking the 20 second record by finishing in…
ANALYSIS OF EU AND SNAP FRENCH PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
INSEAD Political Science Professor Emeritus Douglas Webber had already agreed to speak to the AAA via Zoom on June 10, the day following the EU's scheduled Parliamentary elections. But when French President Emmanuel Macron dissolved the Assemblée Nationale and called for new elections starting July 1, the focus shifted. What did the far right's gain of seats in the EU and the RN's trouncing of…