Patrice-Ariel (Ariel) Français is a retired senior UN official and essayist. After a decade of service with the French government, he got his first appointment with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1980, starting a 25-year career at the service of the United Nations in countries around the world. He served in different countries as UN Resident Coordinator.
Overlapping existential questions to start with The war in Ukraine is first and foremost a response to what Russia considers as existential threat, in the face of NATO’s continued expansion on its borders. The so-called “denazification” of Ukraine remains a smokescreen with no real substance intended to justify the special military operation against its neighbour,…
Many would advise me not to venture into such a minefield as Gaza, literally and figuratively. However, I cannot remain silent in the face of the outpouring of hatred, invective, disinformation and bad faith that distorts and obscures the debate on this issue, which is tragic. I will not engage here in a historical analysis…
