US embassy cable - 05PARIS2680

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 002680 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/PPD; ECA/DAS (THOMAS FARRELL) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, OEXC, SCUL, FR 
SUBJECT: BILATERAL EXCHANGES BETWEEN FRENCH UNIVERSITY 
INSTITUTES FOR TEACHER TRAINING (IUFM) AND U.S. SCHOOLS OF 
EDUCATION 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  PUBLIC OPINION ABOUT THE UNITED STATES WITHIN 
FRANCE'S YOUNGER GENERATION IS OFTEN NEGATIVE AND TENDS TO BE 
MORE PRONOUNCED IN THE IMMIGRANT OR SECOND-GENERATION 
COMMUNITY.  THE FRENCH PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM IS THE COMMON 
MEETING GROUND FOR THIS YOUNGER GENERATION.  UNFORTUNATELY, 
THE QUALITY OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE U.S. WITHIN THIS SYSTEM 
IS MIXED.  ONE MISSION STRATEGY DESIGNED TO IMPROVE OUR IMAGE 
IN FRANCE, IS TO ENCOURAGE MORE FORMAL LINKS BETWEEN THE U.S. 
AND FRENCH TEACHING COMMUNITIES.  POST REQUESTS WASHINGTON 
FINANCING AND SUPPORT IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH A PROGRAM OF 
STUDENT TEACHER EXCHANGES.  BECAUSE AN INCREASING NUMBER OF 
INDIVIDUALS FROM IMMIGRANT SOCIETIES, PARTICULARLY ARAB AND 
MUSLIM COUNTRIES ARE NOW ENTERING THE TEACHING PROFESSION WE 
BELIEVE THESE EXCHANGES WILL HAVE A DIRECT INFLUENCE ON 
TEACHERS AND STUDENTS FROM THESE COMMUNITIES.  THE PROPOSED 
EXCHANGE PROGRAM WILL NEED SIGNIFICANT DEPARTMENT SUPPORT 
DURING THE FIRST YEAR.  IT WILL THEN BE SELF-SUPPORTING AND 
SELF-ADMINISTERED. END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  PUBLIC OPINION ABOUT THE UNITED STATES IN FRANCE IS 
COMPLEX AND VARIED.  IT IS OFTEN SPLIT INTO A MORE POSITIVE 
OPINION ABOUT THE UNITED STATES AND AMERICANS AND A LESS 
POSITIVE OPINION ABOUT OUR GOVERNMENT'S POLICIES, AND IS 
GENERALLY INFLUENCED BY THE RESPONDENTS' POLITICAL LEANINGS. 
ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE U.S. AND AMERICANS OF THE BROADER FRENCH 
SOCIETY ARE ALSO OFTEN SUBJECT TO A GENERATION GAP:  AN OLDER 
GENERATION STILL CONNECTED TO THE EVENTS OF WWII AND A YOUNGER 
GENERATION WHOSE KNOWLEDGE OF D-DAY AND THE LIBERATION COMES 
FROM TEXTBOOKS AND TEACHERS THAT OFTEN FAIL TO COVER THE 
U.S.'S PIVOTAL CONTRIBUTION TO EUROPEAN FREEDOM.  THE YOUNGER 
GENERATION'S EMOTIONAL DISTANCE FROM THE U.S. IS OFTEN 
COMPOUNDED BY A GENERALLY HOSTILE REACTION TO THE EVENTS IN 
IRAQ AND A MEDIA IMAGE OF THE U.S. AS A SUPER POWER THAT USES 
MILITARY MIGHT AND COMMERCIAL SUCCESS TO DOMINATE AND IMPOSE 
ITS CULTURE. 
 
3.  [INR] OPINION POLLS AND POST'S OWN EXPERIENCES HAVE SHOWN 
THAT WHAT IS TRUE FOR MAINSTREAM FRENCH OPINION IS EVEN MORE 
PRONOUNCED IN FRANCE'S IMMIGRANT OR SECOND-GENERATION 
COMMUNITY, STRUGGLING TO FIND A PLACE IN FRENCH SOCIETY. THIS 
COMMUNITY TENDS TO HAVE NO POSITIVE HISTORICAL CONNECTION TO 
THE U.S. AND TO MORE DEEPLY ACCEPT THE NEGATIVE STEREOTYPES 
RECEIVED ABOUT THE UNITED STATES. THE U.S. INTERVENTION IN 
IRAQ IS VIEWED THROUGH A PRISM OF MISUNDERSTANDING ABOUT U.S. 
ATTITUDES TOWARDS ISLAM AND MUSLIMS AROUND THE WORLD. SUCH 
FUNDAMENTALLY NEGATIVE ATTITUDES IMPEDE RECEPTIVITY TO USG 
MESSAGES ON SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES. 
 
4.  THE FRENCH PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM IS THE COMMON MEETING 
GROUND FOR ALL OF THESE MEMBERS OF THE YOUNGER GENERATION. 
UNFORTUNATELY, THE QUALITY OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE U.S. 
WITHIN THIS SYSTEM IS MIXED.  WHILE THE FRENCH MINISTRY OF 
EDUCATION SETS OUT THE MAJOR LINES OF CURRICULUM CONTENT, 
TEXTBOOKS ARE INDEPENDENTLY WRITTEN AND SELECTED, AND ARE 
OFTEN INCOMPLETE OR NEGATIVE IN THEIR TREATMENT OF THE UNITED 
STATES.  IN ADDITION, MANY SCHOOLTEACHERS HOLD LEFT-LEANING 
POLITICAL AND SOCIAL BELIEFS AND TEND TO PERCEIVE  "U.S. 
VALUES" NEGATIVELY.  STILL OTHERS, MORE FAVORABLY INCLINED 
TOWARDS US, COMPLAIN THAT THEY DO NOT KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT THE 
U.S. AND THE ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH OUR FOREIGN POLICY, 
HISTORY, POLITICS, OR SOCIETY TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND 
INTELLIGENTLY TO THEIR STUDENTS' QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT 
THE U.S., PARTICULARLY THE NEGATIVE ONES.  ACCORDINGLY, A 
MAJOR STRATEGY FOR PA FRANCE HAS BEEN TO FOCUS ON THE FRENCH 
SCHOOL SYSTEM AND ON THE MEMBERS OF THE TEACHING PROFESSION. 
 
5.  ONE ASPECT OF THE MISSION'S STRATEGY IS TO ENCOURAGE THE 
DEVELOPMENT OF MORE FORMAL LINKS LEADING TO SELF-SUSTAINING 
EXCHANGES BETWEEN U.S. AND FRENCH TEACHERS AND STUDENT 
TEACHERS TO DEEPEN THEIR SUBSTANTIVE KNOWLEDGE OF OUR COUNTRY 
AND TO PROVIDE FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE WITH OUR SOCIETY.  DURING 
HIS VISIT TO PARIS EARLIER THIS YEAR, ECA DAS TOM FARRELL MET 
WITH FORMER DIRECTOR OF ONE OF THE UNIVERSITY INSTITUTES FOR 
THE TRAINING OF TEACHERS (IUFM), WHO IS NOW A KEY ADVISOR TO 
FRENCH MINISTER OF EDUCATION, FRANCOIS FILLON.  THE DISCUSSION 
FOCUSED ON THE POSSIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING A PROGRAM OF 
STUDENT TEACHER EXCHANGES SIMILAR TO THOSE CURRENTLY TAKING 
PLACE BETWEEN FRANCE AND THE UK.  THE STUDENT TEACHERS WOULD 
COME FROM VARIOUS FIELDS OF STUDY TO ENSURE THE BROADEST 
OUTREACH THROUGHOUT THE FRENCH PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM. 
 
6.  WHILE THERE IS NO MAGIC SWITCH THAT CAN BE TURNED ON TO 
MAKE THE FRENCH BETTER APPRECIATE THE U.S. OR OUR POLICY, THIS 
TYPE OF PROJECT CAN SIGNIFICANTLY CONTRIBUTE TO IMPROVING OUR 
IMAGE IN FRANCE.  THE TEACHERS WILL LEARN ABOUT THE UNITED 
STATES AND DIRECTLY BENEFIT FROM EXPOSURE TO OUR CULTURE AND 
SOCIETY, AND THEIR STUDENTS WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS INCREASED 
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE.  A RECENT STUDY HAS SHOWN THAT AN 
INCREASING NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS FROM SECOND AND FIRST 
GENERATION IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES (PARTICULARLY ARAB AND MUSLIM 
MINORITIES) ARE ENTERING THE TEACHING PROFESSION AS A WAY OF 
IMPROVING THEIR SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS.  THE PROPOSED EXCHANGE 
PROGRAM WILL REACH THESE TEACHERS, WHO WILL HAVE DIRECT 
INFLUENCE ON YOUNGER MEMBERS OF THESE COMMUNITIES. 
 
7.  AT THE TIME OF THE MEETING, THE FRENCH MINISTRY OF 
EDUCATION EXPRESSED ITS WILLINGNESS TO CONTRIBUTE SUBSTANTIAL 
FUNDING TO THE PROJECT FOR THE FIRST AND SUBSEQUENT YEARS IN 
ORDER TO ENSURE THE LONG-TERM BENEFITS OF SUCH AN EXCHANGE 
PROGRAM.  WITH ECA FUNDING ADDED TO THE MINISTRY'S, THE 
PROGRAM CAN BE LAUNCHED THIS YEAR.  THE MISSION CONSIDERS THIS 
IS AN EXCELLENT BILATERAL OPPORTUNITY THAT WILL RESULT IN 
CONCRETE, SUSTAINABLE PROGRAMS AFFECTING OUR IMAGE IN FRANCE. 
WOLFF