L'Ecosse

Je viens de passer deux semaines en Ecosse.
Le travail était trés agréable , grâce à l'équipe et à l'organisation du Ministère des Affaires Étrangères Britannique. Nous avons eu de nombreuses réceptions, dans des endroits superbes. Les excursions, que ce soit au Loch Ness, à York, ou chateau de Tantallon, nous ont montré un pays superbe, qui a su garder sa tradition, tout en s'adaptant à la mondialisation.

Le sujet de ma conférence, l'Antarctique, a été fascinant, que ce soit la découverte de ce continent mal connu, ou les études qu'on y mène sur le changement climatique.

Tout le monde (sauf les États-Unis), se passionne pour la coupe du monde de football. Mais le monde continue à tourner. Pendant que les Nord-Coréens fourbissent leurs missiles intercontinentaux, les Iraniens accélèrent leur programme nucléaire, et que l'Irak sombre dans le chaos, les français s'insultent en pleine Assemblée Nationale.
Le Tout-État français a atteint ses limites, et un des fleurons de notre industrie, EADS-Airbus est victime des rigidités du centralisme.
Le recours constant à la poche du contribuable ne suffit plus. Les grands actionnaires d'Airbus quittent l'avion en plein trou d'air.
Espèrons que l'A-380 ne rejoindra pas le France, le Concorde, le Minitel et d'autres joyaux de la couronne, mal guidés par des fonctionnaires trop rigides pour survivre à la mondialisation.

C'est tout l'enjeu de l'Europe. Soit elle saura affronter ses concurrents sur le marché, soit elle sera un joli paysage de châteaux et de pâturages.

Clouds over Europe

I am still in Old Blighty for my sins.
We had a very interesting presentation from SCAR at the Antarctic treaty convention meeting in Edinburgh. According to ice core samples, dating back 1 million years, we can see a definite spike in the global warming trend. Whereas core samples show a regular see-saw effect of warm and cold periods, roughly every 100,000 years, the latest spike is several orders of magnitude bigger. And we are in the midst of it. There is no doubt that Man has contributed to this mega-warm up since the 19th century.
During the week end I took a train trip to York, and a car trip to loch Ness. No, Nessie was not there. But I saw some wonderful landscapes in the mists of Scotland. I had not been to the Highlands since 1970.

Everywhere you go in these isles, the conversation is about the World football Cup. France is doing wretchedly, and the US seems to have redeemed themselves in extremis. As I walked the ancient Viking cobblestones of York, you could hear loud cheers coming from pubs and open windows all over town , everytime England scored.
In the parks, the King's Own celebrated the Queen's official birthday with a Royal Salute of 41 guns. At York station, the Harry Potter special steam train was waiting for its eager complement of young wizards.
Elsewhere in the news, it seems that Airbus chewed more than it could swallow with its giant A 380. And the design of its A 350, that was supposed to seal its supremacy over its dreaded Boeing 787 competition , has to be totally redone. Sic transit gloria mundi......

Meanwhile, back in the US, my new fellow Americans have a hard time digesting a new Pew Research poll, showing that they are universally loathed and reviled. Americans love to be admired. And , in a way this still young republic has a lot to offer the world. But when its citizens, out of fear, lack of information, or sheer laziness, elect an inept government and start violating its own principles, they should not be surprised if the world calls them hypocrites.
98% of all Europeans have heard of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. Only 76% of Americans have.I am not surprised.
What is worrisome is that most Europeans regard the US as potentially more dangerous for them than China, a military dictatorship.
Given the parlous state of their so-called Union, Europeans should not feel too much shadenfreude either. Europe is still suffering from the near-mortal blow inficted by the French and Dutch referenda. At their last summit this week end, heads of state were busy unravelling the work done in the previous 50 years. They erected new moats around the fortress, threatened prospective members with huge delays, and otherwise gave a sorry account of themselves.
Their dream of being a "model" for the world has taken a step back. The trouble is they do not seem to know it. Yet.

Edinburgh

I am now in Edinburgh, Scotland.
I had a great trip with United Airlines. Changing planes at Heathrow (LHR), is a nightmare. It took the entire 2hrs and 40 minutes layover. There are several bus rides in a maze of buildings, docks and airplane parkings. there are many lines, sorry, queues, for passport, security, and more buses. The entire Commonwealth is landing in London.
Then it is off to Edinburgh on BMI, where a mere sandwich costs 10 pounds.
Scotland was hot and sunny. The Gran Sheraton is at the foot of Edinburgh castle. The lawns were covered with sunbathers, while grave gentlemen in kilts attended outdoor concerts.

Today, back to work. I will work at the Antarctic Treaty Conference Meeting, inaugurated by the Princess Royal, who, by the way, has invited me Thursday for a bash at the castle. BYOK (bring your own kilt).
The main topics in Britain:
The death of a british soldier in Afghanistan. They blame the US.
The Home Secretary encourages victims of petty crime to stop wingeing (whining), and fight back.
And football. The papers are full of stories about which footballer girlfriend upstaged which in the WM in Germany.

Godspeed

Among the many attractions of living in Northern Virginia, is the great city of Alexandria. One of the many historical cities on the esat coast, Alexandria was established by British colonists in the 17th century and its architecture still shows the elegance of the past today. A few miles down the road from my house, past the jail where a certain Moussaoui is embarking on a long journey, you can see the Potomac river. Yesterday, given the exquisite weather, we decided to visit the Godspeed, on a temporary visit to Alexandria, on her way to Jamestown.
Back in 1607, a group of 104 English men and women set sail from England . After a four month journey, they formed a settlement on the banks of the James River : Jamestown.

Their three ships, among them the Godspeed, were very small by our standards, yet they persevered and started an adventure that is today's United States of America. Next year we will celebrate the 400th anniversary of that foundation. Jamestown is ready for the big celebration. It has even ordered new replicas of the 3 small vessels. Hence the port visit of the Godspeed on her way down the coast from her native shipyard.

And yet, by world standards, 400 years is a very short time. The church where I was baptized in Briey, France, was built in 983, on the ruins of an even older church. Its altar, a masterpiece by Ligier-Richier was already 300 years old when the Godspeed docked in Virginia.

I believe that history is a very accurate guide in world politics. The Hadditha horror, the Iraq quagmire in general, and the hubris of powerful ideologues have all happened before. The present political debacle suffered by the descendants of the 104 Virginia colonists, in the sands of Hammurabi, was entirely predictable to the historian.