Posted on May 17, 2007 by Paul Mirengoff

A big change in Paris

Nicolas Sarkozy has appointed Bernard Kouchner to be his foreign minister. This is good news in the sense that it means the anti-American hack Hubert Vedrine will not be the foreign minister.
Beyond that, Kouchner is an interesting selection. His background is in medicine and health, not foreign policy. His involvement in foreign affairs has focused on humanitarian and human rights issues. He has engaged these issues in a highly principled way, including advocacy of the right of democratic countries to intervene against tyrannical regimes in the name of freedom.
Michael Ledeen describes Kouchner as a socialist mugged by reality. It will be fascinating to see whether he is mugged again, this time by the reality of being France’s foreign minister.
UPDATE: Jean-David Levitte, the very talented and generally pro-American ambassdor to the U.S., will be President Sarkozy’s diplomatic adviser.

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