Bernard Guetta

Bernard Guetta , born with Boulogne-Billancourt on January 28th, 1951, is a French journalist, specialist in international Géopolitique and Prix Albert London 1981.

Biography

It was high in a family of Jewish sépharades whose father is restorer and the commercial mother. With parents passed by the Trotskisme, the anticolonialism and PSU, it bathes in a medium very politicized and anchored in a left as anti-molletiste as anti-Stalinist.

Trotskist of the release to the Years 1950, his father is related to the review Socialisme or cruelty of which it shelters meetings in his residence. As of the 14 years age, Bernard Guetta is thus brought to read the great classics of the anti-Stalinist literature. Its political conscience is then very early. For example, as of the 10 years age, it distributes leaflets against the Guerre of Algeria. The designs conveyed by the journalists of the Monde (Bernard Ferron on the Pays of the East, Gilbert Mathieu on the economy and the social one) impregnate it then so much that it comes from there “to think Monde”.

At the 13 years age, he seeks to militate in a party but, disappointed by those which he visits, he lands with the Ligue of the human rights where Daniel Mayer directs it towards the monthly magazine After Demain. Responsible for its distribution near the booksellers of Paris, it takes part thus in the meetings of the editorial board at the sides of Pierre Joxe and Philippe Bernard. In this medium mendesist radical socialist where it meets personalities like Claude Nicolet or Pierre Mendès France, it profits from a political training and intellectual high level which attaches it to mobility reformist of left.

Brought to reside at Casablanca, he is pupil with the Lycée Lyautey nearly two years while living in grandparents who, lasting the world war, had accommodated their cousin Charles Guetta and his friend Jean Daniel during several months. Of return to Paris, it finds his friends Emmanuel Todd and Jean-Pierre Cerquan, wire and brother-in-law of a Olivier Todd which it regards as “a kind of uncle” and whose family is very related to his. In 1967, it takes part in the operation “a billion for Vietnam”, launched by her father for the rebuilding of the country and wanting to be transpartisane.

But it is with its entry with the Lycée Henri-Iv where it prepares the baccalaureat and the events of May 68 which it starts to take of the political responsibilities.

Organizer of the occupation of the Henri-Iv colleges and Fénelon, it becomes one of the leaders of the committees of action high-school pupils at the sides of Michel Reccanati, Maurice Najman and Romain Goupil. Being perceived then as a “radical with American” which aims less the seizure of power than the imposition of the reforms necessary, it causes in Henri-Iv of the debates between pupils and professors on the reform of the teaching whose report/ratio is drawn and sent to the ministry. But, carried by the vulgate marxo-Leninist in force among trotskists, it joined the revolutionary Communist youths in October 1968 under the influence of Michel Reccanati.

Parallel to its hypokhâgne, it sits at the Central committee of the Communist revolutionary league. But its entry with CFJ in September 1969 leads it to be subject to the influence of Philippe Viannay and teachers like Jacques Julliard, Jacques Ozouf, François Furet or Jean Bouvier. On the occasion in particular of the strikes coeds that it animates there, it ties with Philippe Viannay extremely strong bonds of friendship which contribute to its distance of the militancy. Starting from at the beginning of 1970, it ceases taking part in the meetings of the League even if it preserves contacts with some of its leaders such as Henri Weber.

Its bonds with Todd then facilitate its entry as trainee with the Nouvel Observateur. Entered with the service company in June 1971 with Jean-Pierre Cerquin and Jacqueline Rémy, it represents for its chief the new generation of the service. If it is recruited like Pigiste in January 1972, its entry coincides with that of the cousin of its father (Charles Guetta) within the board of directors. That is worth to him to be badly seen by the remainder of the drafting until the death of the latter (be 1972) improves its image. Its establishment, contemporary of this evolution, consolidates it in its integration.

Within the newspaper, it covers initially youth and the movements high-school pupils while carrying an interest with marginal of all kinds (squatters, immigrants, handicapped). Near to Olivier Todd and Hector de Galard, he is then ignored by Jean Daniel, which does not facilitate its desire to leave the company pages for the policy and the foreigner.

But as from July 1973, it puts a foot at the service Event by covering the strike of the factory Lip. He interviews for this business of the personalities like Michel Rocard (September 24th, 1973), Jose Bidegain (January 14th, 1974), Jacques Chereque (February 4th, 1974) and even Claude Neuschwander from which he draws one entitled book Patron May… (the Threshold, 1975). Its presence is reinforced there when it takes part in the cover of the presidential campaign of April 1974 and Assises socialism (October 1974). But it continues to raise questions (the situation in the prisons, the army and the police force, drifts of Justice, the control of information) which are attached to the concerns gauchists.

Besides it offers the word to leaders of the PSU (Bernard Ravenel, Michel Moussel) which is located rocardiens on the left. But he interviews also men of the right such as Jacques Dominati or Jean Lecanuet. In the same way, if it treats less interior policy as from 1976, it continues to pay an attention to the internal dispute to PCF, in particular within Communist youths of which it interviews several times the secretary général.
That is related to the interest growing which it carries to the questions of the dissidents, constant in that by Jean Daniel and K.S. Karol.
Ayant approached this topic by the interview of the Polish Jew Leopold Trepper (December 1973), he becomes the specialist about it after the business Pliouchtch (January 1976). As from September 1977, he forsakes even the interior questions (justice, army, parties) to devote himself to it fully. By this skew, it is integrated into the foreign service where it treats country like the Lebanon (August 1976), the Zaire (April 1977) or the the Western Sahara (winter 1977/1978). The question of the “dissidents” is worth to him then the friendship of a Jean Daniel which it supports within a drafting divided on the treatment of these questions.

Thus, after being itself beaten week after week, to ensure the chronicle of the arrests and the hunger strikes, it obtains its support to impose a rubrique.
It gives thus by twice the word to Vladimir Boukovsky, denounces the judgment of Orlov or the made fate with Chtcharanski. It also offers to Laurent Schwartz (July 22nd, 1978) or to Daniel Meyer (December 11th, 1978) the means of being expressed on the infringements of the human rights. But in April 1979, it is recruited by the chief of the foreign service of the World which proposes to him a post of correspondent in Vienna. In 1980, it joined Poland where it profits from the many contacts which K.S. Karol offers to him.

Correspondent with Warsaw then with Gdansk, it receives the Prix Albert London in May 1981. He draws from it a book, Poland (Arthaud, 1982). Not having obtained from visa for the USSR, it spends four years to Washington of 1983 to 1987 before occupying the post of correspondent with Moscow of 1988 to 1990. Since 1991, he is commentator with France Inter. Editor association of the Expansion of 1991 to 1993, of the Nouvel Observateur of 1996 to 1999, he is leader-writer with the Express train and chronicler with Repubblica, the Temps and Gazeta.

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