Social Media and the Political Theory of Passions
Of all the great political thinkers, few were as attentive to means of communication as Alexis de Tocqueville. One of the many things that amazed the young French diplomat […]
MoreOf all the great political thinkers, few were as attentive to means of communication as Alexis de Tocqueville. One of the many things that amazed the young French diplomat […]
MoreThe president finally reacted to the results of Sunday’s election. His speech was short and largely devoid of content. Although the posture was confident, the prescriptions were vague: “Ma seule […]
MoreI’ve published an article in The American Prospect on the legislative elections.
MoreHistorien, spécialiste de l’histoire politique et intellectuelle de la France contemporaine, professeur émérite des universités à l’Institut d’études politique de Paris, Michel Winock a écrit une quarantaine d’ouvrages. Il est […]
MoreAlthough the definitive results are not yet in, one thing is already clear: President Macron has suffered a major defeat, while Jean-Luc Mélenchon has fallen considerably short of the goal […]
MoreYesterday I wrote that a) la NUPES would not win a majority in the legislature but b) would win enough votes to deprive Macron of an absolute majority, and that […]
MoreRaymond Geuss Does Not Think Like a Liberal. Reading Raymond Geuss’s Philosophy and Real Politics a couple years ago was like a breath of fresh air. Geuss was writing […]
MoreThe rise of la NUPES has sharpened the generational divide in French politics. Le Monde reports that an IPSOS-Sopra Steria poll conducted before the first round shows Macron’s Ensemble! taking […]
MoreThe first round of the legislative elections yielded inconclusive results. The so-called “presidential” party, now named Ensemble!, could end up with a slim majority, but then again it may not. […]
MoreElon Musk loves twitter. He is a committed twitter user. He loves it so much that he is trying to own it. What he is not, I would contend, […]
MoreNo, I’m not referring to the Boston Celtics. By “green machine” I mean the coalition of forces responsible for several important votes in the European Parliament today. MEPs rejected several […]
MoreA book review of Adom Getachew’s Worldmaking after Empire: The Rise and Fall of Self-Determination (Princeton University Press, 2019.) As World War II ended, European colonial empires of the 19th […]
MoreThis year’s legislative campaign, which will culminate on Sunday in the first of two electoral rounds, is perhaps the strangest I have witnessed in more than half a century of […]
MoreWhen you’re wrong, it’s best to fess up. I said that la NUPES would be lucky to get 100 seats. Current projections have the Mélenchonistas gaining 195-230 seats! Macron’s Ensemble […]
MoreA chaque nouveau quinquennat, on observe la même tendance : entrés à l’Elysée avec une cote de popularité élevée, les présidents subissent tous des périodes de forte désaffection. Le taux […]
MoreRawls’s A Theory of Justice at Fifty, a special edition Published in the spring of 2022, the latest edition of The Tocqueville Review is now available online. (Vol. 43, No. 1) L’édition la […]
MoreBiopolitics! At the “Monument aux Mères Françaises” Some reflections on a natalist installation Wandering through Paris a couple of weeks ago, I came across a small park just off […]
MoreLast week marked 100 days of all-out war in Ukraine. As markets fluctuate and inflation looms large, academics, journalists and thought leaders are slowly beginning to realize: we have reached […]
MoreTribune « La Révolution a fondé une société, elle cherche encore son gouvernement. » Le journaliste Prévost-Paradol composa cette phrase en 1868, et dans l’attente des prochaines élections législatives, celle-ci n’a guère […]
MoreEmmanuel Macron is firmly at the controls of the aircraft, but its destination remains unclear. After three weeks of flying in circles, the pilot-in-chief settled on a new government but […]
MorePar Danielle Charette et Atman Mehta. Traduction par Justin Saint-Loubert Bie. Nous nous sommes entretenus avec Aaron Tugendhaft à propos de son livre, La destruction des idoles : D’Abraham […]
MoreI’ve been on an island with poor Internet since last Friday, so I’ve had to catch up on all the hot takes about Emmanuel Macron’s nomination of Elisabeth Borne to […]
MoreA word with a long history in leftist movements has recently resurfaced in French political discourse: “hegemony.” It has been primarily used in connection with Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who, thanks to […]
MoreDespite the failure of the French left to advance a candidate to the second round of the presidential election for the second consecutive time, the political figure dominating the press […]
MoreA book review of Paul Sabin’s Public Citizens: The Attack on Big Government and the Remaking of American Liberalism (W.W. Norton & Co., 2021) 1965 marked the highpoint for […]
MoreTocqueville 21: First of all, congratulations on the launch of Le Monde in English! The editors, contributors, and readers at Tocqueville 21 all know Le Monde well. In my own […]
MoreJustin Saint-Loubert-Bie, a former intern for Tocqueville 21, sat down with Troy Vettese and Drew Pendergrass to discuss their new book, Half-Earth Socialism (Verso: April 2022). In the publication, […]
MoreOn Easter Sunday one hundred years ago, on the margins of a major international economic conference in Genoa, the foreign ministers of Bolshevik Russia and the new German “Weimar” Republic […]
MoreThe French Left’s “Historic” Unity The deal has been made. Days after Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Olivier Faure embraced one another at the May Day march in Paris, their parties […]
MoreElsewhere on this site you’ll find an excellent set of reviews of Martin Conway’s Western Europe’s Democratic Age: 1945-1968. Of the immediate postwar period Conway writes: But Communism no longer […]
MoreThis is the introduction to our forum on Martin Conway’s new book Western Europe’s Democratic Age: 1945-1968. 1. Embedded Democracy – Chris Bickerton 2. Comprendre les démocraties européennes après la […]
More** This post is Martin Conway’s response to our forum on his new book, Western Europe’s Democratic Age: 1945-1968. You can read the previous reviews here: 1. Embedded Democracy – […]
More** This is the third in a series of three reviews of Martin Conway’s new book Western Europe’s Democratic Age: 1945-1968. Conway’s response will be published tomorrow. You can read […]
MoreThere can be no doubt that February 24, 2022 will enter into the annals of caesura-creating dates alongside such perennials as September 1, 1939, December 7, 1941, November 9, 1989 […]
More** This is the second in a series of three reviews of Martin Conway’s new book Western Europe’s Democratic Age: 1945-1968. 1. Embedded Democracy – Chris Bickerton 3. The Pre-History […]
MoreL’unité fait la force, as the saying goes. Has Jean-Luc Mélenchon achieved the impossible, unifying the fractious French left as never before? Has he single-handedly revived the hope of a […]
More** This is the first in a series of three reviews of Martin Conway’s new book Western Europe’s Democratic Age: 1945-1968. 2. Comprendre les démocraties européennes après la Seconde Guerre […]
MoreRevue de presse du 2 mai 2022 Suite à la victoire d’Emmanuel Macron à la présidentielle, l’attention se tourne vers les législatives du 12 juin. La question de l’abstentionnisme, qui […]
MoreReview: The Atlantic Realists: Empire and International Thought Between Germany and the United States, by Matthew Specter (Stanford University Press, 2022) Open any textbook on International Relations today, and […]
MoreThe dust has barely settled from the presidential election, but the legislative campaign is in full flood, with rumors swirling everywhere in the accelerating currents. Macron has “put a target […]
MoreMay 1, 18h30 (CET) The Case of Ourika Zoom REGISTER HERE The extended CCDS community is invited to the talk “The Case of Ourika: Children, the French Slave Trade and […]
MoreThere is no such thing as one-party democracy. Alternation in power must exist as a possibility. While Emmanuel Macron’s decisive victory on Sunday was unequivocally a victory for French democracy, […]
MoreTo debrief the second round of the French presidential elections, Tocqueville 21 has invited a distinguished set of academics, journalists, and commentators on French politics to provide their thoughts on […]
MoreThe winner of the 2022 French presidential election will soon be known, with many commentators comparing its historic character to the 2016 US election and the Brexit referendum. From […]
MoreIn politics, they say, a week is a long time. Had I written this post a week or two ago, I would likely have entitled it “On the Brink” rather […]
MoreJean-Luc Mélenchon is calling on voters to elect him prime minister by filling the National Assembly with Unbowed deputies. Marion Maréchal, Guillaume Peltier, and Nicolas Bay–all ex-Le Penist turncoats–are calling […]
MoreThe much-awaited debate will take place tomorrow. The candidates have haggled over every aspect. By common agreement the studio will be kept at a chilly 19° C. to guard against […]
MoreUne évaluation honnête de n’importe quelle campagne électorale mettrait en avant l’importance des images et des impressions. Pour cette saison en 2022, c’est d’autant plus vrai. Le deuxième représente avant […]
MoreFrance Insoumise voters were asked to express their preference for the second round on the party Web site. 215,292 did so, and 37.65% said they would cast a blank protest […]
MoreTocqueville 21 · Post-Covid and Green Economics with Charles Dumas Welcome back to the Tocqueville 21 Podcast! As the war in Ukraine and the French elections have drawn most media […]
MoreJean-Luc Mélenchon is entitled to a little crowing. He outran his polls and improved his position slightly compared with 2017. But in negotiations with the Greens and Socialists over a […]
MoreAthens put Socrates to death for leading its youth astray, and ever since some who aspire to the title “philosopher” have sought to demonstrate their worthiness to be Socrates’ successors […]
MoreMost commentary on the election has concentrated on the personalities and policies of the candidates. What little attention has been devoted to deeper structural changes in French society has tended […]
MoreI emerge briefly from behind the blog to discuss the election on Korean television.
MoreEmmanuel Macron has a problem. His largest reservoir of potential voters lies among those who voted for Jean-Luc Mélenchon in the first round. The endorsements he has received from Nicolas […]
MoreAgain in The New Republic.
MoreTo debrief the second round of the French presidential elections, Tocqueville 21 has invited a distinguished set of academics, journalists, and commentators on French politics to provide their thoughts on […]
MoreTo debrief the first round of the French presidential elections, Tocqueville 21 has invited a distinguished set of academics, journalists, and commentators on French politics to provide their thoughts on […]
MoreI am slightly more confident now than I was a few hours ago that Marine Le Pen will not be the next president of France. True, she improved her first-round […]
MoreFrench President Emmanuel Macron has graced the pages of the likes of the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal many times in recent weeks, but not for the […]
MoreLucien Jaume is a philosopher, political scientist and professor at Sciences Po who has contributed to the rediscovery of the French liberal tradition. The author of numerous books on the […]
MorePolls suggest that President Emmanuel Macron enjoys a prohibitive lead in the elections to be held in France on April 10 and 24. While they seem unlikely to defeat him, […]
MoreI’m still betting on Macron, but I’m also sweating, for reasons I set forth in this article for The New Republic.
MoreOn John Rawls: A special edition of The Tocqueville Review. In the next few days, The Tocqueville Review will be publishing its Spring 2022 Edition. Keep a close look at […]
MoreApril 19, 19h30 (CET) Interpreting the French Presidential Election Zoom REGISTER HERE With France heading into a tumultuous presidential contest, the Mile End Institute has brought together a panel of […]
MoreThe polls are alarming. First-round polling suggests that the second round will be a repeat of 2017, with Macron facing off against Le Pen, but Le Pen has been closing […]
MoreApril 12, 17h00 (CET) Clara Rachel Eybalin Casséus Francophonie Through Decoloniality Hybrid: Remote/American University of Paris REGISTER HERE Clara Rachel Eybalin Casséus will present her latest book, Une Caraïbe décoloniale: […]
MoreIn 2016 I traveled around France interviewing participants in the events of May and June 1968 for a book I was preparing, May Made Me, an oral history of the […]
MoreThe writing is on the wall for the 2022 French elections, and the word on everyone’s lips is perlimpinpin. With The Economist estimating a 90% chance of reelection for […]
MoreSouverainisme Depuis le déclenchement de la guerre en Ukraine, une question revient en boucle dans l’actualité : celle de l’unité européenne et de son indépendance énergétique, sécuritaire et agroalimentaire. Si […]
MoreA book review of Michael J. Sandel’s The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good? (Penguin, Allen Lane, 2021). “Those who work hard and play by the rules […]
MoreJean-Luc Mélenchon held a rally this weekend and, by common consent, assembled the largest crowd of the campaign. He has risen modestly in the polls as Zemmour and Pécresse have […]
MoreWhat happened to the candidacy of Anne Hidalgo? Recent polls have put her at around 2-2.5%, about a third of the dismal score that Benoît Hamon made in 2017, which […]
MoreMarch 23, 17h00 (CET) Julian Culp (AUP) Democratic Citizenship Education in Digitized Societies Hybrid: Remote/American University of Paris REGISTER HERE In this paper I offer a new conceptualization […]
More** This is the author’s response to a series of four reviews of Nicholas Mulder’s new book The Economic Weapon: The Rise of Sanction as a Tool of Modern War. […]
MoreDATE TBD Delphine Dogot (Law of Université catholique de Lille) Augmented Order: The Ordering Promises Of Blockchain Hybrid: Remote/American University of Paris REGISTER HERE Blockchain technologies are deployed […]
MoreFirst off, an exciting conclusion to an exciting series: Samuel Moyn of Yale has been giving the Carlyle Lectures at Oxford on the theme of “The Cold War and the […]
MoreReview of Philippe Le Goff, Auguste Blanqui and the Politics of Popular Empowerment (Bloomsbury, 2020) In June 1852, the incarcerated radical Louis-Auguste Blanqui (1805-1881) wrote a publicised letter describing […]
More“Never Put Yourself in a Position from Which You Cannot Retreat Without Losing Face and from Which You Cannot Advance Without Grave Risks” – Hans Morgenthau This is the […]
More** This is the fourth in a series of four reviews of Nicholas Mulder’s new book The Economic Weapon: The Rise of Sanction as a Tool of Modern War. 1. […]
More** This is the third in a series of four reviews of Nicholas Mulder’s new book The Economic Weapon: The Rise of Sanction as a Tool of Modern War. Each […]
More** This is the second in a series of four reviews of Nicholas Mulder’s new book The Economic Weapon: The Rise of Sanction as a Tool of Modern War. The […]
More** This is the first in a series of four reviews of Nicholas Mulder’s new book The Economic Weapon: The Rise of Sanction as a Tool of Modern War. Each […]
MoreThis is part II of a four-part series on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, focusing on the economic ramifications of the Ukraine invasion. Part I can be found here. Part […]
MoreThis essay is the first in a series of analyses on the historical, geopolitical, and economic underpinnings of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Part I establishes a parallel between Russia […]
MoreParties no longer count for much. Elections hinge on personalities, or at any rate personae, and public personae are created by the media. So I thought it would be interesting […]
MoreAs threats of a Russian invasion of Ukraine inundate the news cycle, Emmanuel Macron has reasserted crucial diplomatic influence between the White House and the Kremlin in hopes of averting […]
MoreOn March 3 at 11AM EST I will be participating in a panel on the French elections.
MoreIt looks more and more like the 2022 presidential election will not be about electing the next president–few doubt that the incumbent will be re-elected–but rather about the future complexion […]
MoreRevue de presse du 14 février 2022 La France, L’Energie Le nucléaire fait son grand retour en France avec l’annonce par le Président Macron de la construction de six […]
MoreEmmanuel Macron has been accused of being the “president of the rich,” but he has his ways of reaching out to “la France qui se lève tôt.” One of them, […]
MoreThis year’s presidential campaign has thus far generated little excitement, but behind the scenes a remarkable party realignment seems to be well under way. This was underscored by three events […]
MoreLiberalism In an intriguing essay for Engelsberg Ideas, Samuel Gregg offers an introduction to the thought of Jacques Rueff – arguably one of France’s most influential liberal thinkers. A […]
MoreFrench presidential candidate Éric Zemmour has neither hidden nor made much of his being Jewish. When questioned—and almost exclusively when questioned; he seldom volunteers the information—he describes his Berber Jewish […]
MoreTocqueville 21 · East Asian Geopolitics with Leo Howard Welcome back to the Tocqueville 21 Podcast! We’ve got quite an interesting array of episodes planned for the coming weeks on […]
More“Two horses put before the same carriage, made to pull in opposing directions…” Over recent months, there have been rumblings of discontent on the American left about the United States […]
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