Articles on Jacques Chirac

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France’s national debt has continued to grow over the last 30 years: from €663.5 billion in 1995 under then president Jacques Chirac (not pictured) to €3,345.4 billion in the second half of 2025 under current President Emmanuel Macron. Yoan Valat/Pool/AFP

French national debt under presidents Chirac, Sarkozy, Hollande and Macron: a look at the numbers

France’s government backs a budget aimed at cutting the national debt, but it may lack enough support in parliament. An economist looks at factors behind the debt’s recent climb.
Former French President Jacques Chirac encounters a protest from members during an official visit to the European Parliament in Strasbourg in July 1995. (European Parliament)

France’s final nuclear tests in the South Pacific, 30 years on

Three decades after France’s last nuclear tests, those living near the test sites still await compensation for the harms caused.
A French propaganda engraving from 1825 depicts King Charles X bestowing freedom on a Black man kneeling before him in chains. 'S.M. Charles X, le bien-aimé, reconnaissant l’indépendance de St. Domingue,' 1825, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Cabinet des Estampes

200 years ago, France extorted Haiti in one of history’s greatest heists – and Haitians want reparations

After being exploited for decades by France, Haiti ended up forking over huge sums of money to its former colonizer. Now, the Caribbean nation’s calls for restitution are becoming harder to ignore.
Donald Trump speaks to the media after his conviction on 34 felony charges on May 30, 2024. Steven Hirsch/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Trump’s prosecution is unprecedented in US – but other countries have prosecuted former leaders

Both sweeping immunity and overzealous prosecutions of former leaders can undermine democracy. But such prosecutions pose different risks for older democracies like the US than in younger ones.
A man protesting in New York City one year after the violent insurrection in Washington, D.C. Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images

Prosecuting Trump would inevitably be political – and other countries have had mixed success in holding ex‑presidents accountable

Criminal charges against former President Donald Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot could spark political consequences – not only for Trump, but for US democracy.
Jacques Chirac (here in 2005) was a defining figure in French politics after May 1968. World Economic Forum/Flickr

Jacques Chirac, 1932‑2019: a political bulldozer

A look back at the distinguished career of the former president, an ardent defender of France’s place in the world.
French President Emmanuel Macron, his wife Brigitte Macron, U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump on the Place de la Concorde, Paris July 14, 2017. Yves Herman/Reuters

The ups and downs of Franco‑American relations

France and the US have always had their differences, but they’ve also proved strong and steady allies.
Back for his encore. EPA/Ian Langsdon

Sarkozy sets his sights on 2017 election as rivals flounder

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been re-elected as leader of the opposition party the UMP. His candidacy for the 2017 presidential election is still not certain but his rivals are in a state…

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