Foreign Affairs

So this is how the French establishment deals with one of its own -- voluminous leaks to Le Monde. The Times of London, with a hint of glee, notes the entrance of the esteemed French paper to the well-sourced rumour mill around foreign minister Philippe Douste-Blazy. Word has circulated for months of a blazing row with his wife on New Year's Eve in a Marrakesh hotel room (with a huge bill for damage following), but it seems that it's his atrocious work performance that did him in. The Le Monde story notes one incident when Condi Rice phoned his office on a Friday to be told he was already in his fiefdom of Toulouse -- and was then asked to call back after the weekend. Condi is used to this work ethic from her boss, but not her counterparts.

Douste-Blazy bounced into this job in the post EU referendum reshuffle, but as we noted before, Chirac reshuffles are driven primarily by his manoeuvering of favourites and bêtes-noires, and so qualifications tend to be a 2nd order priority. With Opposition Assembly members now taunting him with chants of the name of the Marrakesh hotel, Mamounia, a reshuffle to extricate the foreign minister from the collapse in confidence around him may be imminent. Chirac may tap yet another protege, Francois Baroin, who at least has some relevant experience, but it's a dreadful time to be switching ministers, just as the Iran crisis lands in the UN lap. The mess also shows, yet again, the resilience of Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy -- his marital life is also a shambles, but he's managed to separate it from his job.