Bernard Kouchner
From AICbackground
"Saddam Hussein was perhaps the most bloodthirsty dictator after Hitler and Stalin. We can defend the oil of Kuwait, but not the people of Iraq."
"Nobody is taking into account the Iraqi people. They are the only ones who can say yes or no to the war. I am not supporting Mr. Bush, I am not supporting [French President Jacques] Chirac. I will support to the end of my days the victims, and they are the Iraqi people."
“Saddam should have been dealt with after the first Gulf War, but instead the withdrawal of international forces when the Iraqi people were ready to rise up amounted to supporting Hussein's repression of dissent."
"It (the overthrow of Saddam Hussein) should have been done years and years before. We were stupid. No, we were not stupid, we were guilty of complicity.”
"I believe in the right to intervene, and people must recognize that intervention is political. A boat sent to rescue boat people is making an inherently political act."
EARLY YEARS
You were born on November 1st, 1939, in Avignon, a commune in the south of France best known for its Palais des Papes, where the Popes were living for much of the 14th century. You were born to a Jewish father and a Protestant mother. Even though politics is now your niche, you were trained as a medical doctor, specializing in the field of gastroenterology. Starting in the 1960s, you were involved in many humane missions for victims of natural, industrial, and political disasters. After being expelled from the French Communist party (PCF) in 1966, you worked as a physician for the Red Cross in Biafra during the Nigerian Civil War and a humanitarian volunteer in Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War.
PUBLIC LIFE
In the early 1970s, you co-founded the association, Doctors Without Borders ("Medecins Sans Frontieres"), and served as the organization's president until 1979, 4 years after you settled down and began your practice as a gastroenterologist at the Cochin hospital in Paris, where you wrote nine books.
Doctors Without Borders, which was awarded the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize, is an independent and international medical humanitarian organization. They deliver emergency assistance to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural or man-made disasters, or exclusion from health care. Doctors Without Borders has served in 70 countries around the world. Each year there are 4,700 aid assignments in which doctors, nurses, logisticians, water-and-sanitation experts, administrators, and other medical and non-medical professionals depart to work along side local staff to provide medical care to those in need. They treat patients with infectious diseases, provide shelter in times of need, perform surgeries, and even offer psychological care. Doctors Without Borders was the first nongovernmental organization to provide medical assistance in times of emergency and witness the plight of the people it assists. They are always one of the first humanitarian organizations to arrive on scene in times of emergency. The decisions to intervene in a country are based on the assessment of the local people. No political, economic, or religious interests are involved and the organization does not act according to the demands of governments.
In 1980 you founded the association, Doctors of the World, of which you were president and honorary president for about 8 years. This organization promotes and protects human rights and civil liberties for all people. They work where health is diminished and endangered by violence and violations of human rights and civil liberties. So, in essence, they are providing care and services while training people in local communities to continue to provide care when their mission is over.
It was then that your passion for helping those in need advanced and you began to organize operations by boat to Vietnam and Lebanon, and by plane for the refugees in El Salvador. One of your most famous operations was Operation Restore Hope in Somalia, where you personally carried bags of rice to the people. This passion transferred to ministerial functions as the Secretary of State in Charge of Social Integration and Humane Action. With many years or service in a political role, starting in the late 1980s and early 1990s, you became the Secretary of State in Charge of Health for two years before broadening your role, joining the European Parliament and becoming President of the Committee on Development and Cooperation.
In 1999 you became the Civil and High Administrator representing the United Nations in Kosovo, the former province of Yugoslavia which was the site of a massive international intervention against Serbia, where you led Kosovo from a constitutionally recognized part of Yugoslavia, linked to Serbia, to a seperate state in which Serbian minority were removed by the Kosovo Liberation Army terrorists. So in essence, you were head of the movement to break away and become an independent country of Kosovo. During this time, as a model for Sri Lanka, Bosnia started as the first country who was a former constituent of the republic of Yugoslavia, which broke away, was recognized by the EU, was supported by NATO, and happen to mark the beginning of the end of Yugoslavia. For Sri Lanka to exist as a single country, you were appointed by the EU to the International Eminent Persons Group on Sri Lanka. Because you were already the UN Special Commissioner for Kosovo, your appointment by the EU to monitor the human rights in Sri Lanka and safeguard this plot of land was sequential.
Your actions during these times occasionally stirred up some issues, like when you told a visiting UN human rights diplomat to “shutup” when you called the province a haven for organized crime.
For the following year, Feb. 2001-2002, you became the Minister Delegate at the Ministry for Employment and Solidarity with responsibility for health in France as well as started teaching classes at Harvard University School of Public Health.
Because of all of your success, in 2007 you were named the French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs for the Fillon government. You have been generous with your opinions in support of the Iraq War. You received ample criticism of your thoughts and platforms not only on the issues concerning the Iraq war, but on the fact that others view you as a media manipulating, controversial man. They even mention the fact that you are married to a French media superstar. But even though it is easy to accuse you of such manipulation, you stick to your morals and some people may say that you are the inventor of humanitarianism. You saved lives with the idea that when people are in trouble and in need, there should always be someone that can help them.
DOMESTIC ISSUES OF CONCERN
Since you are the Minister of Foreign Affairs, your primary focus is on international policies and issues of diplomacy. Although this doesn’t mean you have no domestic issues of concern, it does mean that these will not play a significant role on your decisions.
BRIEFS AND POLICIES PERTAINING TO THE MIDDLE EAST
As regards the Palestinians and Israelis, you are a firm supporter of solving problems through the political process. Recently, international participation has stepped up contacts between the two political groups, and you hope that France and the European Union can help steer the situation into a peaceful resolution.
Kouchner with Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority
You recognize that the world’s political scene is rapidly changing. With the rise of Asia and the conflicts in the Middle East, you firmly believe that France must be a major player in world affairs and an active member of the United Nations Security Council. Shortly after being ushered into office, you went on a tour of the Middle East, meeting with key leaders from many of the countries including Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, and Lebannon.
Kouchner with His Majest Abdallah, King of Jordan
With this in mind, you believe that a resolution to the Middle East conflict must come from the United Nations, which in your opinion is the only legitimate voice of the global community. Having worked for many years in the international sphere with the United Nations in Kosovo, you have great faith in the international community. You are an advocate for increased international cooperation between the nations of the Middle East and the United Nations, and you hope to be able to resolve all conflicts through diplomatic means.
Kouchner with Tony Blair
You are one of the few French diplomats sympathetic towards Israel in the Israel-Palestine conflict. You believe very strongly that Israel must exist. Furthermore, you are also in support of America’s invasion of Iraq. Historically, France’s stance in this area of the world has been opposed to American and Israeli aims. Your appointment to the Foreign Ministry is a great change to France’s international stance. In his victory speech, Sarkozy said, “The US can count on France once again.” This statement does a good job of summing up your approach to French-American relations.
Kouchner with President Peres, President of Israel
As a person, you are a man of both words and actions. When confronted with the Iran nuclear weapons issue, you supported Sarkozy's statement that Iran's possession of such weapons is completely unacceptable. You also are a firm believer of actions on the ground, and this includes sanctions as well as possibly reaching out to the Iranians.
France is currently not talking to Hamas in the Gaza Strip, but you know that the Palistinians in Gaza are not to be neglected. You hope that negotiations between Abbas and Olmert will be effective.
INTERESTING POINTS
Your background is very diverse and possibly to your benefit in the scope of world affairs. Because of your socialist background, your appointment to head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was considered by many as both surprising and a bit controversial. You have been scorned by the rest of your party as a backslider.
ROLE PLAYING NOTES Given your history of humanitarian work, it will impact the way you view situations. You will advocate for human rights when it comes to issues within the conflict. You are also a strong believer in the power of the international community, and you hope for increased action by France in the scope of world politics when it comes to the issue of Palestine and Israel.
List of References:
http://www.ambafrance-us.org/atoz/bio/bio_kouchner.asp
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6666707.stm
http://www.myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=kouchner_fredericksburg_04
