Thomas Piketty

In the face of the Trumpian onslaught, Europe urgently needs to regain its self-confidence and propose a different development model to its citizens and the world. To achieve this, it must start by overcoming the permanent self-denigration that too often stands in for public debate on our continent. According to the doxa that prevails in many leadership circles, Europe is living beyond its means and needs to tighten its belt. The latest version of this rhetoric states that social spending...

For anyone in doubt, Donald Trump has at least made things clear: the right exists and it speaks loudly. As has often been the case in the past, it takes the form of a mixture of violent nationalism, social conservatism and unbridled economic liberalism. We could call Trumpism national-liberalism, or more accurately, national-capitalism. Trump’s remarks on Greenland and Panama show his attachment to the most aggressive, authoritarian and extractivist form of capitalism, which is...

A few days ahead of Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and tech executives aligned with the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement coming to power, Joe Biden delivered a forceful warning about the emergence of a new « tech industrial complex » threatening the US’s democratic ideal. For the outgoing president, the extreme concentration of wealth and power risked undermining « our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead. » Biden is not wrong. The...

Let’s face it: France will not emerge from its current political crisis by inventing a new central coalition. The idea that the country should be governed by bringing together all the so-called « reasonable » parties, from the center-left to the center-right, from the Parti Socialiste (PS) to Les Républicains (LR), excluding the « extremes » – La France Insoumise (LFI) on the left and the Rassemblement National (RN) on the right – is a dangerous illusion, which will only lead to further...

In the wake of Donald Trump’s victory, Europe can no longer content itself with declarations of intent. It urgently needs to pull itself together and regain a grip on world affairs, without any illusions about what will come from the United States. The crux of the matter is that it is impossible to face up to the socio-economic, climatic and geopolitical challenges that are shaking the planet as long as the European Union (EU) makes its decisions by the unanimous vote of all 27 member...

The tax debates currently underway in France and the discussions which took place at the 2024 G20 summit demonstrate that the issue of tax justice and the taxation of billionaires is not about to disappear from the public debate. There’s a simple reason for this: the sums amassed by the world’s wealthiest individuals over the last few decades are quite simply gigantic. Those who consider this a secondary or symbolic issue should take a look at the numbers. In France, the combined wealth...

Let’s face it: The report on Europe’s competitiveness and future submitted by Mario Draghi to the European Commission is heading in the right direction. For the former ECB president, Europe needs to make €800 billion of additional investments per year in the future – the equivalent of 5% of the European Union’s (EU) GDP – or around three times the Marshall Plan (between 1% and 2% of GDP in annual investments in the post-war period). This would enable the continent to return to the...

Despite the relative majority obtained by the Nouveau Front Populaire (NFP, left-wing alliance) in legislative elections, the French political landscape remains marked by divisions and uncertainty. Let’s be clear: The left’s gains in votes and seats are actually very limited, and reflect insufficient work on both policy and structure. It is only by resolutely tackling these shortcomings that the left-wing parties will be able to get through the period of turbulence and minority...

Unsurprisingly, the debates leading up to the 2024 European elections were marked by geopolitical issues: the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, growing tensions between the West and the China-Russia bloc, which intends to increase its influence in the South and increase members of the BRICS+ group [Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia and Iran]. Some say the cause is clear: Europe’s future will be more kaki-oriented. Faced with the Russian threat, the...

Can a two-state solution in Israel-Palestine still be reached and under what conditions would it be viable? A word of optimism first: There are many citizen peace movements in both Israel and Palestine who tenaciously and imaginatively advocate peaceful, democratic solutions. Unfortunately, these groups are in a minority, and without powerful external support they have little chances of prevailing. To break the stalemate, it’s time for the European Union and the US, which between them...