Noel a Tampa

Petites vacances a Tampa en Floride. Qu'il est doux de ne rien faire sous les palmiers. Noel par 28 degrés c'est trés agréable.
Belle réunion de famille et paysages de cartes-postales.
Les Américains respectent la trêve des confiseurs. Eux qui ont peu de congés profitent des deux lundis de repos. Pas de `ponts`ni de `viaducs`` ici, à part les superbes ouvrages d'art qui enjambent la baie de Tampa, dignes du pont de Normandie ou de Millau.
En Floride, plus qu'ailleurs, l'Europe, pour ne pas parler de la France, n'existent pas. A peine si on mentionne le pauvre Tony Blair dont l'avion a failli depasser la piste alors qu'il venait, lui aussi, prendre ses vacances...en Floride.
La seule grande nouvelle, à part le décés de l'ancien Président Ford, c'est l'annonce de l'éxécution de Saddam Hussein.
Mes nouveaux compatriotes, non seulement tiennent à une grande majorité à la peine de mort, mais en plus ils y voient une justification dans l'Ancien Testament : ``Oeil pour oeil, dent pour dent``. Le code d'Hammourabi, loin d'être barbare, représentait une amélioration par rapport aux moeurs en vigueur à l'époque (du genre génocide pour un oeil!).

Mais l'homme est censé avoir fait des progrès depuis. L'éxécution, fût-ce d'un tyran meurtrier, détenu par une armée étrangère, dont le pays est occupé par ces mêmes troupes, n'est pas un bon exemple de la démocratie ni de la liberté qui étaient le but de cette lamentable éxpédition.

Une coalition de pays, dont l'Iran, l'Arabie Séoudite et les USA ne font pas partie, veulent faire interdire la peine de mort, en général, par l'ONU. La pendaison de Saddam Hussein, surtout en public, comme semblent le souhaiter les média réactionnaires habituelles, n'aurait pour seul avantage que de redorer le blason fort terni de Georges W. Bush, à la veille de son discours sur l'État de l'Union.
On se rappelle que l'Administration Reagan avait poussé au départ de Challenger, contre l'avis des techniciens, pour redorer le blason de Reagan, à l'occasion du même discours....

Paix sur la terre.

Noel se rapproche, et avec l'arrivée de cette belle fête, les moeurs de la capitale s'adoucissent.
Hier j'ai eu la chance de travailler pour le président Bush lors du sommet de la Maison Blanche contre le paludisme. Il va consacrer des millions de dollars a éradiquer le paludisme en Afrique. Cette maladie tue 3000 enfants par jour. Elle a été vaincue aux USA il y a plus de 60 ans et au Panama il y a 100 ans. Il suffit, entre autres, d'acheter des moustiquaires , dont le coût modeste se monte à 10 $.
Ici tout le monde s'affaire dans les magasins. Comme un peu partout sur la planète, il fait encore chaud pour la saison.
On sent à Washington que la page de l'Irak est en train de se tourner. On ne parle que trés peu des combats en Afghanistan. Cet aprés-midi, Donald Rumsfeld a fait ses adieux en fanfare. Espèrons que cette sortie ne fera pas plus de victimes que la guerre proprement dite.
Cette guerre aura fait beaucoup de dégâts. Les talk-shows continuent à fustiger l'Europe et les français en particulier pour leur compromissions et manque de solidarité . Les américains se sentent toujours investis d'une mission.
Mais dans les soirées de Noel en ville, la politique est un sujet tabou. La seule exception, et c'est le seul sujet qui intéresse mes nouveaux compatriotes, les présidentielles de 2008. Barack Obama est la mode du jour pour les démocrates et Mitt Romney pour les républicains.

On sait que Noel s'approche car la chaine TNT va passer À Christmas Story`en boucle continue.

"The consequences are dire".

So says the ISG report on the situation in Iraq.
One of the obvious recommendation is to find a way to get out. Echoes of "withdrawing with honor" from the Vietnam era.
Which soldier will be the last casualty. And what for?
Will Man ever learn?
Here is what Vera Brittan wrote about war, more than 70 years ago:

"In among the chaos of twisted iron and splintered timber and shapeless earth are the fleshless, blackened bones of simple men who poured out their red, sweet wine of youth unknowing, for nothing more tangible than Honour or their Country's Glory or another's Lust of Power. Let him who thinks the War is a glorious, golden thing, who loves to roll forth stirring words of exhortation, invoking Honour and Praise and Valour and Love of country with as thoughtless and fervid a faith as inspired the priests of Baal to call on their own slumbering deity, let him but look at a little pile of sodden grey rags that cover half a skull and a shinbone and what might have been its ribs or at its skeleton lying on its side, resting half crouching as it fell, perfect but that it is headless, and with the tattered clothing still draped round it; and let him realise how grand and glorious a thing it is to have distilled all Youth and Joy and Life into a foetid heap of hideous putrescence! Who is there who has known and seen who can say that Victory is worth the death of even one of these?"

Testament of youth. 1933

Back to reality

I have returned from Trinidad.
It was an interesting conference. Unions trying to establish "a world union" to counterbalance globalization. A 19th century institution trying to find a place in the 21st. It was interesting to hear a debate between a Pfizer Vice President and , mostly European union members. The corporate giant was talking about the future, research, exciting perspectives to cure diseases.They have just announced the firing of 5,000 vendors worldwide, anticipating the democratic Congress'limitation of pharmaceutical prices.
I then flew back home by way of Miami. I know , y'all envy me: Trinidad, Miami, Washington etc.. In reality, it now means an average of two to three hours of different lines, body and luggage searches, and frantic races to overbooked airplanes full to the galleys. My three hours layover in Miami was entirely dedicated to these various pleasures. The few who have any time to spare can buy smelly and soggy foods to eat on the ,now, foodless flights.

Back in DC also means catching up with politics. And what a change in a few weeks. What I had predicted at the outset is alas true. The war is unwinnable. And while the bickering is about the least humiliating retreat, kids keep on dying, just as it happened with Vietnam. I plan on visiting section 60 of Arlington cemetery where a lot of them now rest.

Trinidad and Tobago

We had a great family gathering for Thanksgiving. We had the unavoidable bash of turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie, courtesy of the Hilton.
For fun, we took David and Cristina to see the new Mars movie at the IMAX and the "Planet collisions " at the planetarium. To top it all , we saw the latest James Bond. Great!

Right now, I am in TT, aka Trinidad and Tobago. Four hours flight from Miami, 11 km from Venezuela, it is a hot and sweet Caribbean island. Besides debating the concerns of an International Union, I enjoy the beautiful view over Port of Spain from a resort on top of a hill. Trinidad is am oil and gas producer. They also manufacture a mean rhum. Steel drum music and limbo dancing are part of their culture.
The population is made up of Indians, blacks, and whites.
I am told that the beaches are actually on Tobago.

It looks like the Holy father has had a good visit in Turkey. I believe that if you are the Pope, you should be conservative, carry proudly the 2,000 year tradition of the Church, and show the cross...
Meanwhile, GWB is flying around the world trying to have "allies" take over the burden of Afghanistan, while Iraq sinks even further into the abyss. I think he should stay home. His place in History has already been written.

Holland-Malaysia-Canada-Washington

And another RTW (round-the world-trip) in a short week!
That's right. I had the privilege to circumnavigate the globe, yet again. I had to fly to Kuala-Lumpur on short notice to work at multinational conference.
I first flew to Amsterdam, a short skip and a hop across the pond. The sound of the Dutch language, was familiar music to my ears. My stopover was long enough to allow me a walk down nostalgia lane, over the cobblestoned streets along the famous canals. The smell of greasy sausages in the early morning mist brought me back to my former life in the low countries.

A much longer stretch of 747 awaited me. I had the privilege of flying over Russia, Chechnya, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Gulf of Bengal, and Burma, before landing in steaming hot Malaysia 12 hours later. The sleek airport high-speed train whisked me to an inner city of contrasts. Part Malay, part Chinese, part muslim, part buddhist, KL , as it is called, is also a city that never sleeps. Downtown is a jumble of mosques, a monorail system, traditional malay rows of houses, and the tallest skyscraper in the world, the Petronas Towers.
Besides interpreting an interesting meeting on Pacific Ocean security, I had the pleasure of seeing former Vietnamese and Korean students of mine.
I thoroughly enjoyed Malaysian hospitality and food. Here is another vibrant, up and coming tiger economy brimming with eager young people, and boundless ambition.
The malays I was able to meet had low regard for Europe, and a tremendous admiration for America. Their muslim heritage, though, gave them an intensely negative view of US foreign policy.
A rush to KLIA airport, and up and away to Hong-Kong. it was my first visit since 1997, and my first use of the great new airport. So huge in fact, that I barely had time to browse its enormous shopping mall before I sat in Air Canada's Airbus A 340, bound for Vancouver BC.
The plane was full of ethnic Chinese. Vancouver has become a Chinese city, with numerous elected officials coming from Hong-Kong , thanks to the Commonwealth link.
Unlike Britain, scared of Asian hordes, Canada has followed a wise policy that has turned Vancouver into one of the most dynamic cities on the planet.
I had the opportunity to talk to my seatmate, a young Chinese lawyer, practicing in both Canada and Hong-Kong. She was the very proof of globalization. Daughter of poor Chinese farmers from Guandong, she now worked for a Shanghai firm selling software to the US.

I reluctantly parted from my new friend , admired the beautiful mountain backdrop of British Columbia, and psyched myself for the obstacle course TSA had prepared for me before I was allowed on the US side of the airport. After flying around the world, the routine of shoes off-open bags-coats in the bin-laptop and cell phone out, etc.. gets really old. It feels totally useless and a victory of sorts for the bad guys.
I spent my last loonies on a hardy Canadian breakfast and hopped on yet another airbus for the last stretch to old DC.
Any tour around the world today will confirm a few new truths: Europe has become a nice tourist park. Asia is the factory and the beehive of the world. The US are weary and universally feared. Most peple are remarkably alike. they want peace, a good job, and a future for their children. No country can hope of dominating the others. The word "superpower" is an illusion. The future will belong to the next generation of internet savvy jet setters who do not fret about 19th century patriotic visions nor about 20th century historical illusions.

Diversité

Les émeutes de novembre dernier dans la banlieue parisienne ont eu au moins une retombée positive. Outre le fait que j'aie bénéficié de plusieurs contrats de la part de groupes d'études français qui visitent les USA pour trouver des solutions, la France semble s'être aperçue du fait que sa population était certes diversifiée, mais mal intégrée.
Aprés avoir rendu visite à une quinzaine des plus grandes entreprises US, mon groupe a pu à la fois tuer des mythes et entrevoir des solutions.
Aux USA, la diversité et l'inclusion sont au programme depuis les mouvements des droits civiques au début des années 60. Contrairement aux idées reçues, la discrimination positive, appelée affirmative action en Amérique, n'est pas une affaire de quotas. Il s'agit plutôt d'égalité des chances.
L'équivalent de la HALDE aux USA s'appelle EEOC , existe depuis 40 ans et ses lois sont impitoyablement appliquées.
Il faut dire que les relations entre la police et les citoyens aux États-Unis sont une question de civisme, plutôt que l'antagonisme traditionnel que l'on connait en France.
Notre groupe, ayant visité Washington et New York, a été impressioné par la place de l'inclusion dans les grandes entreprises . Aux USA, c'est considéré être bon pour les affaires que d'embaucher et promouvoir les minorités.
Ça permet de s'adresser à un plus grand pool de talent, et de mieux communiquer avec ses clients dans les milieux de la minorité
Encore faudrait-il que nos universités françaises attirent les beurs et les blacks!
Seule note sombre au tableau: mon groupe, les hommes, de race blanche, seront un groupe minoritaire aux USA en 2050!