AUTHOR'S BIO
Pascal Boniface
Pascal Boniface is Director of the Institute for International and Strategic relations, Paris (IRIS). His most recent book is Football et Mondialisation (Football and Globalization).
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Sarkozy’s Secret Rupture
Pascal Boniface Series: The World in Words 2008-06-04A year ago, when Nicolas Sarkozy was campaigning for the French presidency, he promised a “rupture” with the past. But the rupture has come in an unexpected area: the foreign policy consensus that has prevailed since the days of Charles de Gaulle.... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 13606
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Bombing the US Budget
Pascal Boniface Series: The World in Words 2008-03-18As the United States and the world mark the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, debates are raging about the consequences – for Iraq, the Middle East, and America’s standing in the world. But the Iraq war’s domestic impact – the Pentagon’s ever mushrooming budget and its long-term influence on the US economy – may turn out to be its most lasting consequence.... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 15114
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Peace through Superior Football
Pascal Boniface and Lilian Thuram Series: The World in Words 2008-02-06An international relations expert and a professional football player propose a novel path to Middle East peace: Israel and Palestine should jointly bid to host the World Cup in 2018.... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 19212
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France’s Royal Visage
Pascal Boniface Series: The World in Words 2006-10-03Ségolenè Royal has surged to the front of the pack of Socialists who aim to succeed Jacques Chirac as President of France. Nobody would have bet a single euro on such a prospect a few months ago. Until recently, Royal – who now is merely the head of one France’s 22 regional governments – was best known as the non-married partner of François Hollande, the Socialist Party leader. Yet, according to the polls, she is the only left-leaning candidate who looks able to defeat Nicolas Sarkozy, the current Interior Minister and odds-on favorite to be the center-right’s standard bearer in the presidential election next May. ... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 14723
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The Tragedy of Zidane
Pascal Boniface Series: The World in Words 2006-07-11Those who the gods may destroy, they grant their wishes. Zinedine Zidane may be pondering that bit of ancient Greek wisdom today. Having announced that he would end his professional career with the World Cup, Zidane had his wish fulfilled. After France barely survived the tournament’s first round, Zidane performed at the top of his game and led the team to the brink of a second World Cup championship. But instead of finishing his career in triumph, or at least with an ovation, he was ejected from the final for head-butting an Italian player. There have been few such tragic moments in football history. ... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 16397
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The Geopolitics of Football
Pascal Boniface Series: The World in Words 2006-05-31In football, defeat is never definitive, but it is always passionate. For football lovers, FIFA (the governing body of international football) should have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize long ago. For others, exasperated by football and the emotions it stirs up, the sport is no longer a game, but a type of war that stokes the basest sort of nationalist emotions. ... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 22841
