Word: kouchner
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More than three decades have passed since Kouchner first railed to the world about the human costs of conflict in Africa. In 1971, while working as a young relief doctor in war-torn Biafra, he co-founded Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) or Doctors Without Borders, which would go on to win the Nobel Peace Prize. At the age of 67, Kouchner is still railing, but with a big difference: he is now the Foreign Minister of France, a post from which he could recast the country's approach to international relations, not least by potentially reviving...
Back home in Paris a week later, Kouchner paces restlessly around his Quai d'Orsay office - "this golden cage," as he calls it - on the Left Bank, with its crystal chandeliers and priceless tapestries. He circles his desk, bemoaning economic injustices, political paralysis and U.S. missteps in Iraq, and outlining his goals to Time. These include a peaceful transition to independence in Kosovo, multiparty talks in Lebanon, an "honest broker" role for France between the U.S. and Iran, and some relief for Africa's refugees. At the time, he was also preparing for his first big initiative as Foreign Minister...
...Kouchner attracts plenty of his own attention these days. His appointment in May by the conservative new President Nicolas Sarkozy sent a charge through France's political scene. With one move, Sarkozy robbed his Socialist Party foes of one of their most famous members, tempered his image as a partisan right-winger, and sent a message to leaders across the world that his government would bring big changes. Richard Holbrooke, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. and a close friend of Kouchner, calls it an "astonishing" appointment, predicting: "This could mean major changes in French foreign policy in Israel, Africa...
...that proves true, it would be welcome news in Washington, where relations with France have been frigid since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. Kouchner has well-placed friends in the U.S., speaks fluent English and has been a visiting professor at Harvard University's School of Public Health. The rift with Washington is truly over, he says: "We are close allies, we are friends, and it must be so." He believes the schism has hurt France, marginalizing it in key areas. "We have to offer a new perspective in the Middle East," says Kouchner, who advocates bolstering support...
...Still, Kouchner resists the label "pro-American." He says he will openly criticize the U.S. when necessary, and is distressed and angered by its failures in Iraq, which he calls "counterproductive" and "perverse." But Kouchner did support Saddam Hussein's overthrow, arguing that he deserved to be ousted. That was a near apostasy to his Socialist colleagues, who have never quite forgiven...