Another Form Of Hegemony

Mais non!

The Trump administration has ordered some French companies with U.S. government contracts to comply with his executive order banning diversity, equity, and inclusion programmes, highlighting the extraterritorial reach of U.S. policies and their potential impact on European corporate practices.

The companies have been told to confirm their compliance in a questionnaire entitled "Certification Regarding Compliance With Applicable Federal Anti-Discrimination Law." Reuters has seen a copy of the questionnaire.

The questionnaire was sent out by the U.S. Embassy in Paris. One problem though:

There was no indication that the companies receiving the letter were selected based on their presence in the United States. A source close to the matter confirmed that France's state-controlled telecoms group Orange (ORAN.PA), which has no U.S. presence, received the letter.

Meanwhile, defence electronics firm Thales (TCFP.PA), and oil major TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA), both with operations in the U.S., did not receive it, according to spokespeople for the companies. Orange declined to comment.

The incompetence starts at the top; and it does trickle down. And what’s the French version of: “Fuck off!”?

An official close to French Finance Minister Eric Lombard said the matter would be taken up with the U.S. government.

"This practice reflects the values of the new U.S. government. They are not the same as ours. The minister will remind his counterparts in the U.S. government of this," the official said.

I want to point out there’s an assumption this directive was meant for French companies with contracts with the U.S. government. There’s no indication of that, however. I mean, the assumption is sound, under normal circumstances. These aren’t those.