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Testimony: France in the Twenty-first Century
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 944.084
EAN: 9780375425059
ISBN: 0375425055
Label: Pantheon
Manufacturer: Pantheon
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 272
Publication Date: March 06, 2007
Publisher: Pantheon
Release Date: March 06, 2007
Studio: Pantheon
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Editorial Review:
“This book presents my analysis of the difficulties France faces. It outlines my proposals for putting France back on the path toward economic growth, social justice, and modernity. And it addresses many of the common domestic, international, economic, and social challenges that advanced democracies like France and the United States must confront.” So writes Nicolas Sarkozy–France’s outspoken and controversial minister of the interior and a leading presidential candidate–in the new preface to the American edition of his best-selling memoir.
He analyzes the difficulties facing France–social tensions, inadequate education, high unemployment. But far from drawing fatalistic conclusions, he demonstrates that France does not suffer from an identity crisis but from a crisis of political debate. He accuses French political figures, sometimes harshly, of having deprived the public of their own say in government, leading to pervasive suspicion of elites, the state, and proper governance. This book is a testimony to how Nicolas Sarkozy has evolved over the past twenty years as the only French political figure across the entire spectrum to broaden public debate, to confront idées reçues, to seek a new direction for France–in short to re-empower the French in their own political deliberations. In Testimony, for which he has drawn fire, Sarkozy issues a wake-up call to his people and the world, setting forth his iconoclastic views on such hot-button issues as international relations vis-à-vis the United States, the Arab world, and Africa; globalization; cultural chauvinism; immigration; the welfare state; education; and law and order.
Extraordinary for its candor regarding Sarkozy’s political as well as personal life, Testimony gives us an unsparing critique of contemporary French society and its leaders even as it champions a sharp break with the past. Sarkozy’s is a brave, new vision for France as it engages the world of the twenty-first century.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - No more "freedom" fries after this one....
A great and easy read. For those Americans who have felt estranged from the French, this book by Nicolas Sarkozy will make you want to eat "French" fries and head to Paris again! Well written with very good ideas -- U.S. leaders could learn something from Sarkozy's approach!
Rating: - Sarkozy is the Leader that France Needed
Nicolas Sarkozy's "Testimony" offers a great deal of insight into the man who, after years of being tested in France's bureaucracy, emerges eminently prepared to lead the French to parity with other European economic powers, such as Germany. It is further refreshing to learn about the man who is intent on returning the Franco-American relationship to one of partnership rather than adversarial. Well worth the read if there is any interest in learning about the changes we can expect in France, politically, ... Read More
Rating: - Sarkozy's outspoken Testimony.
"This book presents my analysis of the difficulties France faces," Nicolas Sarkozy says in Testimony. "It outlines my proposals for putting France back on the path toward economic growth, social justice, and modernity. And it addresses many of the common domestic, international, economic, and social challenges that advanced democracies like France and the United States must confront."
Sarkozy (1955) is the current President of France, elected in May, 2007 after defeating Socialist Party rival ... Read More
Rating: - The French elected this man?
Is this the France I thought I knew? After reading Sarkozy's book I have to believe that the French do want to change the direction of their country and perhaps their continent. Knowing it was published in France before his election to the Presidency, I don't know what other conclusion to assume. While I by no means agree with everything he writes below are a few excerpts that I don't think you would have gotten from a traditional French politician.
- The State can't do for you what you're not ... Read More
Rating: - A brief glimpse into a President's mind
The first thing to remember whilst reading this book is that it is a translation from the French `Temoignage' which was written for a French audience and not a book specifically written for English speaking foreigners. This means that there are many references to people and situations which require knowledge of France and French politics.
However, bearing this in mind and with access to Google nearby, one can get over this minor inconvenience.
`Testimony' is an extremely rich insight into ... Read More
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