Jacques Chirac’s contradictions

In over 40 years in public life, Jacques Chirac managed to be elected to so many high posts, to change his position on so many major issues, to leave such a complicated legacy, that what we choose to say about him probably says more about us than him.
Chirac was a populist, a cynic, a self-serving politician who fought against Algeria's independence and, at the end of his career, was found guilty of corruption. He was also charismatic and spoke of the need to bridge social divisions, even as his policies did not achieve much in this sphere. In 1995, he officially recognized France's implication in the Nazis' deportation and murder of the country's Jews; in 2002 he rejected the far right, saying he could not accept bigotry and hatred. From 2002 he spoke out about the dangers of climate change. In 2003 he was one of the most outspoken critics of the US-led invasion of Iraq,...

Continue reading on: