(Excusez moi, mon francais n'est pas courant, donc j'ecris en anglais.)Even for a foreigner, 'Le Ministre' is an easy and entertaining read which gives a fascinating insight into the frenzied diplomacy in the months leading up to the Iraq war. The Minister in question is Dominique de Villepin, then Minister for Foreign Affairs, who electrified the UN with his passionate speeches from 'an old country.' Bruno Le Maire writes a diary of those days -and nights -of ceaseless work and travelling the globe by the side of his Minister, a man who is a master of language, a quality which leads him to correct every word of his speeches and demand exacting rewrites. The gripping description of the day of that famous UN speech in February 2003 starts with Bruno revising the Minister's speech much as usual, during the flight on Concorde and ends with a feeling of astonishment and renewed pride in France.
But this is not just a diplomatic diary. Throughout the book, we catch glimpses of a political advisor with a soul: an avid reader of Faulkner, a man who longs for his wife and children as he sits in yet another hotel room. Whether those months of pleading with the U.S. were wasted ones or not, we are left with the feeling that, to remain true to her values, France had no other choice but to act as she did. Millions who marched in every city in the world in 2003 protesting the war would agree.
Maybe it's not the French who need to read this book: it's the American people.