Alain Destexhe
Encyclopedia
Alain Destexhe is a Belgian
liberal
politician. He was elected senator
for the Francophone
electoral college
in 2003, and again in 2007. Destexhe is a member of the liberal Reformist Movement
and represents Belgium in the World Economic Forum
. He was awarded the Prize of Liberty by Nova Civitas
. Alain is also a member of the AWEPA Governing Council.
. Later he graduated in International Affairs
from the Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris
.
), a leaflet in which he exposed the disastrous economical situation of Wallonia.
He has also published a book dealing with the Rwandan Genocide
. His book deals mainly with historical antecedents leading up to the mass killings in 1994 and who was to blame for this tragical event. Afterwards, his analyses of that era have been used in many parliamentary enquiries and investigation commissions.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
politician. He was elected senator
Belgian Senate
The Belgian Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Chamber of Representatives. It is considered to be the "upper house" of the Federal Parliament.-History and future:...
for the Francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
electoral college
Electoral college
An electoral college is a set of electors who are selected to elect a candidate to a particular office. Often these represent different organizations or entities, with each organization or entity represented by a particular number of electors or with votes weighted in a particular way...
in 2003, and again in 2007. Destexhe is a member of the liberal Reformist Movement
Reformist Movement
The Reformist Movement is a French-speaking liberal political party in Belgium. The party was in coalition as part of the Leterme II Government, and was also part of the governing coalition in the Walloon Region and Brussels-Capital Region until the 2004 regional elections...
and represents Belgium in the World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
. He was awarded the Prize of Liberty by Nova Civitas
Nova Civitas
Nova Civitas was a Flemish think tank based on the principles of classic liberalism in combination with Anglo-Saxon conservatism. Nova Civitas claimed at its founding to be completely independent, although it was recognized and supported by the Flemish Liberal Party...
. Alain is also a member of the AWEPA Governing Council.
Early life
Alain Destexhe graduated in Medicine from the University of LiègeUniversity of Liège
The University of Liège , in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium, is a major public university in the French Community of Belgium. Its official language is French.-History:...
. Later he graduated in International Affairs
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
from the Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris
Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris
The Institut d'études politiques de Paris , simply referred to as Sciences Po , is a public research and higher education institution in Paris, France, specialised in the social sciences. It has the status of grand établissement, which allows its admissions process to be highly selective...
.
Literary achievements
In 2005, he gained national success by publishing Wallonie, la Vérité des Chiffres ("Wallonia, the Truth of the Figures" in FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
), a leaflet in which he exposed the disastrous economical situation of Wallonia.
He has also published a book dealing with the Rwandan Genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
. His book deals mainly with historical antecedents leading up to the mass killings in 1994 and who was to blame for this tragical event. Afterwards, his analyses of that era have been used in many parliamentary enquiries and investigation commissions.
Controversies
- He openly attacked the Canadian generalGeneralA general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Roméo DallaireRoméo DallaireLieutenant-General Roméo Antonius Dallaire, is a Canadian senator, humanitarian, author and retired general...
, the military leader of the UN peacekeeping force in Rwanda, at a conference held in 2004. He stated that Dallaire failed to protect his troops and cost the lives of ten Belgian Blue Helmet soldiers in UNUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
service. He directly and personally blamed Dallaire for the deaths of the Belgian soldiersMilitary of BelgiumThe Belgian Army is the national military of Belgium. The Belgian Army was established after Belgium became independent in October 1830...
, and launched an unprovoked attack on him at the tenth anniversary of the genocide. He asserted, in front of the assembled international press, that Dallaire had been declining to meet with the widows of the killed Belgian soldiers. When Dallaire commented that he had received no communication from any of the widows or from Destexhe on the subject, Destexhe responded that he had been trying to contact Dallaire but didn't know where to find his address. The exchange can be see in the CBCCanadian Broadcasting CorporationThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
documentary Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Roméo DallaireShake Hands With the Devil: The Journey of Roméo DallaireShake Hands With the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire is a documentary film about the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. It was directed by Peter Raymont and inspired by the book Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda , by now-retired Canadian Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire... - During the 2007 election campaign, he made a propaganda "007 Destexhe" film in which he openly attacked the alleged corruptionPolitical corruptionPolitical corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
and cleptocracy within the ruling Socialist PartySocialist Party (francophone Belgium)The Socialist Party is a Francophone social-democratic political party in Belgium. As of the 2010 elections, it is the second largest party in the Belgian Chamber of Representatives and the largest Francophone party...
.