This page has been translated automatically.
Cycle Grands Témoins: the Inalco Foundation welcomes Philippe Étienne, Ambassador of France
About H. E. Mr. Philippe Étienne
A former student at the École normale supérieure and alumnu of Langues O' (Serbo-Croatian), Philippe Étienne is a graduate of ENA. Philippe Étienne has held prestigious positions in the service of French diplomacy:
During his career as a diplomat, Philippe Étienne was posted to Budapest in 1978, then to the French Embassy in Belgrade as second then first secretary from 1981 to 1983, before becoming Cooperation and Cultural Action Counsellor in Moscow from 1991 to 1994.
He was subsequently appointed French ambassador to Romania from 2002 to 2005, then headed Bernard Kouchner's cabinet at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2007 to 2009. He then became France's permanent representative to the European Union in Brussels, before being appointed French ambassador to Germany in 2014.
In 2017, he joined the French Presidency as diplomatic advisor to Emmanuel Macron, G7 and G20 Sherpa. He was elevated to the dignity of Ambassador of France in 2019, before being appointed Ambassador of France to the United States, where he represented France until 2023.
Today, Philippe Étienne teaches in the "geopolitical practice" chair of the Ecole normale supérieure's new democratic studies program. He has also taught at Columbia University (USA).
He has held some of the most prestigious positions in French diplomacy, notably as diplomatic advisor to the President of the Republic.
.
"Le Sherpa": 40 years of history in frontline French diplomacy.
French ambassador Philippe Etienne was a privileged actor and witness to the changing world. In these fascinating memoirs, he looks back on his exceptional career.
From Central Europe, where his vocation as a diplomat was born, to Washington, where he experienced Trump's America and its growing polarization, via Berlin and Moscow, where he witnessed the collapse of the USSR, for forty years the diplomat was at the forefront of history.
Diplomatic adviser to the Élysée Palace for two years, Emmanuel Macron's sherpa played an active part in the new impetus Macron sought to give Europe in 2017, after representing France in Brussels, notably during the eurozone crisis. The only French ambassador to the United States to have been recalled, Philippe Etienne recounts the behind-the-scenes story of the Australian submarine crisis that turned Franco-American relations upside down.
Punctuated by portraits of personalities such as anti-Putin Boris Nemtsov and Angela Merkel, this account retraces his commitment to serving France with the conviction that European cohesion is essential for our future.
.
A career in touch with the major issues of the contemporary world
After a brief introduction by Philippe Advani, President of the Inalco Foundation, Philippe Étienne looked back on his career as French ambassador. From his role in Romania's integration into the European Union to the American period marked by Donald Trump's presidency, forty years of diplomatic history were delivered to the Georges Dumézil auditorium. His analysis of the current geopolitical context was complemented by that of Nicolas Chibaeff, a specialist on Russia and former political advisor to the Embassy in Algiers, who himself served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 27 years.
The Inalco student association Prométhei was enthusiastic in taking part in exchanges with H.E. Mr. Philippe Étienne on his experience and vision of international relations. The dialogue took place in front of an audience made up of personalities from the diplomatic and military worlds, as well as partners and friends of the Foundation.
The evening continued with a book signing of Sherpa (ed. Tallandier) in the salons of the Inalco Foundation, then closed with a reception organized in honor of Philippe Étienne.
Supporting the Foundation means keeping languages and cultures alive
Each contribution helps support those who study, transmit and defend the world's languages, civilizations and cultures.