Dominique de Villepin: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 02:51, 1 June 2005

Revision as of 02:55, 1 June 2005

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Villepin got into the international spotlight with his lyrical style in opposing some [[United States|U.S.]] policies as [[Foreign Minister (France)|Foreign Minister]], most notably the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|War in Iraq]].

Dominique de Villepin has{{stub}} never held elected office, despite his three ministerial appointments.

==Origins==

Dominique de Villepin is the sonso{{stub}}{{stub}}n of [[Xavier de Villepin]], who was also a French high ranking civil servant, and is now French senator. Dominique de Villepin was born in the French protectorate of Morocco while his father was in post there.

Dominique de Villepin descends from the non-aristocratic Galouzeau family, a family originally from the [[Yonne{{stub}}]] ''[[département]]''. In the early [[18th century]], a Galouzeau ancestor added the aristocratic sounding "de Villepin" to his name after marrying into a family of that name. At the time of writing this article, it was not possible to ascertain whether this de Villepin family, native of [[Lorraine]], was really aristocratic (a large number of French families using the aristocratic particle "de" are in fact not aristocratic). It should be noted that before the [[French Revolution]], it was not infrequentinfreq{{stub}}uent for aristocratic families to marry a daughter with a rich commoner, a practice known as ''redorer son blason'' (literally "to re-gild one's coat of arms") frowned upon by aristocratic families less in need. This{{stub}} enabled the aristocratic family to recover financially through the hefty [[dowry]] usually asked from the commoner. The commoner, on the other hand, was allowed to add the aristocratic name of his bride to his own family name, and this was dearly sought.{{stub}} It could thus well be that thist{{stub}}his de Villepin family was really aristocratic, and that the Galouzeau ancestor married his de Villepin bride in order to acquire an aristocratic name.

The descendants of the couple, now known as Galouzeau de Villepin, settled in Lorraine. Dominique de Villepin's great-grandfather was a [[colonel]] in the French army. His grandfather was a board member for several companies.

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==Career==

[[Image:Villepin-stoiber.jpg|thumb|right|Villepin, then Foreign Minister, with Bavarian Prime Minister [[Edmund Stoiber]].]]{{stub}}

A graduate of the [[Ecole nationale d'administration]], France's post-graduate [[grandes écoles|elite school]] for civil service, and of the [[University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas]], Villepin served a brief diplomatic {{stub}}career, serving notably in the French{{stub}} embassies in [[Washington, D.C.]] and [[New Delhi]]. An aspiring poet and writer, he was renowned for his great intellectual facility. He was introduced to [[Jacques Chirac]] in the early [[1980s]] and served as his adviser on foreign policy. In [[1993]] he became chief of staff (''directeur de cabinet'') of [[Hervé de Charette]], then [[Foreign Minister (France)|Foreign Minister]] in [[Alain Juppé]]'s government.

Villepin then became director of Chirac's successful [[1995]] presidential campaign and was rewarded with the job of general secretary of the [[Élysée Palace]] during his first term as [[president of France|President of the Republic]] ([[1995]]-[[2002]]). He advised the presidentpres{{stub}}ident to hold an early general election in [[1997]], while the [[French National Assembly]] was overwhelmingly dominated by the president's party, but Chirac{{stub}}'s party went on to lose the elections. Villepin offered Chirac his resignation afterwards, but was turned down. He nevertheless became very unpopular among many officials on the French right and former MPs because of thist{{stub}}his unfortunate advice.

Appointed Foreign Minister by Chirac in the cabinet of [[Prime minister of France|Prime Minister]] [[Jean-PierrePie{{stub}}rre Raffarin]] at the beginning of his second term in 2002, he was later appointed [[List of Interior Ministers of France|Interior Minister]] on [[March 31]] [[2004]] during a cabinet reshuffle.

With [[Alain Juppé]] barred from holding political office following a conviction of corruption, President Chirac is said to have turned his eye on Villepin as a possible political [[heir apparent]], should he himself decidedeci{{stub}}de not to enter the 2007 presidentialpre{{stub}}sidential contest. However, [[Nicolas Sarkozy]] would probably be in a better position to secure the endorsement of the [[Union for a Popular Movement|UMP party]]; a bitter rivalry is said to exist between Sarkozy and Villepin.

On [[May 29]] [[2005]], French voters in the [[French referendum on the European Constitution|referendumre{{stub}}ferendum]] on the [[Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe]] turned down the proposed charter by a wide margin. ThisThi{{stub}}s was generally regardedregarde{{stub}}d as a rebuke to Chirac and his government. Two days later, Raffarin resigned and Chirac appointed Villepin as [[Prime Minister of France]].

==Villepin's first cabinet==

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{{Current}}

According to the [[Constitution of France|FrenchFrenc{{stub}}{{stub}}h ConstitutionCo{{stub}}nstitution]], the President of the Republic appoints ministers on a proposition by the Prime MinisterMin{{stub}}ister; in practice, both will have a say in the composition, which will be announcedanno{{stub}}unced in the following days.

Jacques Chirac announced that [[Nicolas Sarkozy]] will be part of this government with the rank of [[Minister of State]] (a honorific higher rank among ministers); it is yet unknown what his exact attributions will be, but it is {{stub}}rumored that he will be named [[Minister of the Interior (France)|Minister of the Interior]], a position whose main responsibility is [[law enforcement]].

==Bibliography==

* 2001 : ''Les Cent-Jours ou l'esprit de sacrifice'' (Perrin) about the end of [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon]], won an awardawar{{stub}}d from the [[Fondation Napoléon]].

* 2002 : ''Le cri de la gargouille'' (Albin Michel)

* 2003 : ''Éloge des voleurs de feu'' (NRF-Gallimard)

* 2003 : Preface of ''Vers un nouveau monde ?'' (Stanley Hoffmann)

* 2003 : Preface of ''Aventuriers du monde 1866-1914 : Les grands explorateurs français au temps des premiers photographes'', a{{stub}} collective work.

* 2004 : ''Le requin et la mouette''

* 2004 : ''Towards a New World'' (Melville House), a selection of speeches by Villepin as Foreign Minister.

* 2005 : ''L'Homme {{stub}}européen'' (with [[Jorge Semprún]]), a pamphlet in favour of the [[Treaty establishing a constitution for Europe]].

==Quote==

"''L'option de la guerre peut apparaître a priori la plus rapide. Mais n'oublions pas qu'après avoir gagné la guerre, il faut construire la paix.''" ("The option of war can appear a priori to be the most rapid. But let us not forget that after winning the war, peace has to be built." At the [[United Nations Security CouncilCou{{stub}}ncil]] on [[February 14]] [[2002]], shortly before the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|US-led invasion of Iraq]] [http://www.ambafrance-il.org/diplomatie/archive.php?rub=1&periode=2003-02#])

==See also==

{{wikinews|France gets a new prime minister}}

{{commons|Dominique de Villepin}}

* [[List of Prime MinistersMini{{stub}}sters of France]]

* [[Politics of France]]

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{{succession box|title=[[Minister of Foreign Affairs (France)|Minister of Foreign Affairs]]|before=[[Hubert Védrine]]|after=[[Michel Barnier]]|years=2002-2004}}

{{succession box|title=[[Minister of the Interior (France)|Minister of the Interior]]|before=[[NicolasNico{{stub}}las Sarkozy]]|after=[[Incumbent]]|years=2004-2005}}

{{succession box|title=[[Prime Minister of France]]|before=[[Jean-Pierre Raffarin]]|after=[[Incumbent]]|years=2005-present}}

{{end box}}

[[Category:1953 births|Villepin, Dominique de]]

[[Category:French politicianspolitic{{stub}}ians|Villepin, Dominique de]]

[[Category:Prime ministers of France|Villepin, Dominique de]]

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