My comment will be in french, my written english is so terrible :)

Il est clair que l'attitude de Sarkozy est assez turcophobe et moins arrangeante envers le MENA que le fût Chirac. Mais dire ceci: "he’s likely to generate more results in France than Segolene, and his speech seemed to be more reconciliation-oriented than his campaign", c'est mal connaître le personnage. La persécution des immigrés sera boostée. les dérives policières multipliées. L'embargo sur les no man's land que sont les banlieues à problèmes sera renforcé. Les licenciements massifs seront plus fréquents. Et les riches encore plus...riches!

Mehdi,

la persécution des immigrés a toujours eu lieu, que ce soit sous la gauche ou sous la droite. Pour une raison qui m'échappe, on l'a toujours reproché à la droite, jamais à la gauche, à croire que les paroles comptent plus que les actions. Maintenant, je ne me fais pas trop d'illusions à ce sujet, mais ce qui serait bon pour une fois, c'est qu'on instaure un système de gestion rationnelle de l'immigration, à l'image des pays anglo-saxons.

En ce qui concerne la police cow-boy, si c'est de ça que tu parles (auquel cas ça ne concerne pas les immigrés mais les jeunes de banlieue), je vois mal comment ça peut être pire que maintenant. Ce que Sarkozy allait faire, il l'a déjà fait. D'ailleurs, il n'a pas eu de promesse de campagne à ce sujet, il a seulement vanté ses résultats.

Lorsque je parlais de résultats, c'est de résultats économiques. Sarkozy en aura probablement. A quel point, seul l'avenir pourra nous le dire. Avec Segolène, il n'y aurait rien eu, à part plus de rigidité, et plus de chomage, qui aurait frappé les arabes en premier. Cette idée de "riches encore plus riches", etc., ignore totalement la paralysie de l'économie française. En réalité, les riches plient baggage, à cause de tous les prélèvements. Ils embauchent moins, à cause du coût exorbitant du travail et à cause de la rigidité du droit du travail. Du coup, c'est les gens les moins indispensables, les moins qualifiés et les moins mobiles qui en font les frais. A gauche, seul DSK semble l'avoir compris. Ce qui n'est pas étonnant, il est professeur d'économie.

L'autre point que je sous-entendais en parlant de résultats est un point que je mentionne souvent ici sur Aqoul, et c'est la question de l'influence des beurs sur Sarko.
Il y aura probablement beaucoup d'opportunités sous Sarko, le personnage est un bon stratège d'opinion. Ce qui veut dire, que, si les beurs arrêtent un peu leur hystérie anti-sarkozy, ils ont les moyens de devenir influents auprès de lui, plus influents même qu'ils ne l'ont jamais été. C'est sûr, Sarko ne sera pas leur marionette. Mais il faut savoir gérer ce qui est gérable, la politique du tout ou rien ne mène à rien.

If I may translate first Mehdi:

It's clear that Sarkozy's attitude is rather Turcophobic and less convenable towards MENA than Chirac's was. But to say [quoting Shaheen] is to misunderstand the fellow. The persecution of immigrants will be increased, the police action increased. The embargo on the suburban no man's land problems reinforced. Massive layoffs more frequent. And the rich even more... rich.

Well, what can I say, but voila, Islamogauchisme in its worst form.

Frankly, this is all rubbish, as Shaheen more or less says.

It strikes me we need a post - I should find the time, but other things call - on labour market rigidities and the tension between the labour priviledged locked into protected jobs, and the creation of new employment. The archaisisms of anti-capitalist rhetoric in the francophone world is one of the worst pieces of influence that France gifts on its "children" while simultaneously managing to continue with ethnicity cased labour discrimination.

Charming.

as-salaamu 'alaikum,

"Since most countries of the South happen to be Arab and corrupt regimes, I wonder how his pro-colonial, pro-Israeli, “anti-corrupt” attitude is going to help him cooperate in building any kind of union with them."

Perhaps by colonizing the neighboring regions of the south in a manner like that of Israeli-Zionists; and eventually occupying the region. This is certainly an viable option for a "pro-colonial", "pro-Israeli" government to oust a corrupt regime.

I googled Islamogauchism, but as I cannot read French one of you have to explain it, it seems to be something about 'useful idiots'.

Read an extensive article on the temporary work offices within the bloody postal system, state run of course. If the state itself does not adhere to its own standards, how on earth do they expect private businesses to do the same? Two tiers of employment: One for life, the other on miserable temp conditions sans any decency, or indeed, labour rights.

Unless the trade unions are aware they only serve their own fully employed members, they suffer from a serious case of false consciousness. Snark.

For all my sympathies for Maghrebine complaints about France, I find the reaction to Sarkozy... childish, as it strikes there is a Maghrebine taste for being condecended to in paternal manner by the Left and the Chiracian Right, but once the apple cart is shaken, then you whinge on like small children.

Well, let me be blunt, with respect to Europe, the Maghreb has the relationship it deserves.

Pity, really.

As for Islamogauchisme, it means simply "Islamic Leftism" - although useful idiots is pretty spot on.

Wow, some lefties have graduated to the status of "useful", that's something to take stock of.

Useful idiots for the Left.

I think that the economic and development state of the south Mediterranean countries has in part it's influence in the mentalities and attitudes of the people who originate from theses countries.
The example of the religious cleric without credentials or mandate who shapes the perception of religion and promotes negative attitudes towards the host country, encouraging sectarianism and community isolationism.

As I live in the region, I have a good grasp of the full impact of retrograde discourse broadcast by several tv stations. The preachers hijacked the authority of the religious discourse to send the population messages that take them off-guard.

I think that Europe can promote but can't do the job of the people of the region who should be willing to change for the better.
I think that the security-only approach is short term and can by half-aced compromises encourage more sinking in underdevelopment and dictatorship.

The absence of debate and freedoms prevents the pauperized elite from connecting with the population. The state ruled tv's make people dumb and dumber and without immunity in front of fundamentalism.

The example of the religious cleric without credentials or mandate who shapes the perception of religion and promotes negative attitudes towards the host country, encouraging sectarianism and community isolationism.

Yacine, this is bovine manure. It sounds like the Republique's rant about communautarisme. It's definitely NOT communautarisme which is holding back the franco-maghrebines or the Maghrebines in general. There are so many real issues indeed, but sectarianism is definitely not one of them.

That said, I agree with the point about preachers being generally retrograde.

Shaheen Bey

I think Yacine is actually more or less on the same page as you; and I believe he has a point that the "pauperised" discourse in Maghreb has an influence (secondary to be sure to both French discourse and French economic structures, so third or fourth order) on the "immigrant" communities eco situ, if only in contributing to the pauperising their conception of what they can do

Col,

put this way, I definitely agree.

My initial reaction was to the emphasis on the the sectarianism thing, which sounded a lot like the French dominant discourse about the root of all evil among Maghrebis - communautarisme that is. And like many such French inanities, it's been internalized by a few franco-maghrebis.

Why is Croatia as a member state forgotten in Mediterranean Union idea?