Ambassador Claude Blanchemaison's "Grand Témoin" lecture in a dialogue with journalist Pierre Haski
This conference will take the form of a dialogue with Pierre Haski, journalist specializing in international relations and President of Reporters Without Borders, on the theme: "Contemporary diplomatic practice, between international law and the return of power relations".
An exchange between two authoritative voices, at the crossroads of field diplomatic experience and contemporary geopolitical analysis.
Evening program
- Conference - dialogue: Claude Blanchemaison & Pierre Haski
- Book signing of the book Fragments d'un parcours aventureux
- Concert
- Cocktail
Mr. Ambassador Claude Blanchemaison
Ambassador of France to Vietnam (1989-1993), Ambassador of France to India (1996-2000), French Ambassador to Russia (2000-2003), French Ambassador to Spain (2005-2007), Director for Europe, Director for Asia and Oceania, Director General for International Cooperation and Development
Claude Blanchemaison, a diplomat, was born in Loches, raised in Tours, and is a graduate of HEC and Sciences Po in Paris. He did his military service in the infantry. An alumnus of ENA, now the Institut National du Service Public, he has served as ambassador to Vietnam, India, Russia, Tajikistan and Spain. A specialist in Europe and Asia, he held a number of senior positions at the Quai d'Orsay. He has taught at Paris-Dauphine and Sciences Po, and has been a columnist on news channels. His book "Vivre avec Poutine" was awarded the Prix Jacques de Fouchier by the Académie Française in 2020.
Journalist Pierre Haski
Pierre Haski, born in Tunis in 1953, is a French journalist specializing in international issues. After working for AFP, he joined Libération, where he covered Jerusalem and Beijing. In 2007, he co-founded the news website Rue89. He is also a columnist on France Inter and has been President of Reporters Without Borders since 2017. The author of several books, he is renowned for his commitment to press freedom.
The book: Fragments d'un parcours aventureux
This story could be the script for a series of twenty-five episodes, during which a young provincial finds himself propelled to Paris, before being plunged into the cosmopolitan cauldron of Brussels and continuing his adventures in Asia or elsewhere. Each fragment constitutes a short story, a novella, with its own history, characters, culture and flavor, in which the author represents the only element of continuity.
The diplomat's journey is intriguing. Can one successively negotiate the accession of Spain and Portugal to the European Communities, go to undermine the apartheid regime in South Africa, dialogue with the legendary General Giap in Hanoi, obtain reconciliation with China during secret negotiations in Beijing, attempt to seduce India in all its "states", explore the limits and risks of cooperation with Vladimir Putin's Russia, before organizing the 2008 French presidency of the Council of the European Union? A diplomat must be able to rise to any challenge, without ever abandoning his or her convictions, whatever the consequences. It's not about appearances, but about acting, analyzing, inventing, proposing, deciding and implementing, very often at one's peril.
Concert: classical music from northern India
Closing the event, the Foundation offers a moment of musical grace with a concert of Hindustani music.
Joyeeta Sanyal (sitar), trained with the greatest masters at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in New Delhi, will introduce you to the subtlety and depth of this ancestral tradition. She will be accompanied by her brother, Debojyoti Sanyal (tabla), whose refined playing brings rhythm and nuance.
Raga Rageshree, a raga imbued with romantic sweetness and meditation - a sonic interlude, between serenity and virtuosity.