Sarko?s southern dream

From The Economist print edition It was a diplomatic success, but will the new Club Med go anywhere? EVEN the buffet at this year’s July 14th garden party at the Elysée had a Mediterranean theme. After a marathon weekend hosting 42 Mediterranean and European heads of state and government, President Nicolas Sarkozy looked as thrilled as he was exhausted. He had staged a grand summit to launch a Union for the Mediterranean, with a huge turnout, plenty of warm words and no big quarrels. To those doubtful of his ability to put his hyper-energy to constructive diplomatic purpose it was a useful corrective—but also a reminder of the limits of showman diplomacy. The main achievement of the summit was to assemble such an improbable cast of leaders. Only Libya’s Muammar Qaddafi boycotted the event on principle, arguing that it smacked... [read full story]