[RDVC] - It is possible to get involved internationally? : Conference with Pascal Drouhaud

On February 17th, the RDVC had the pleasure of receiving Pascal Drouhaud, a specialist in international relations in Latin America. He wears both public and private sector hats, and his position at Alstom gave him an in-depth understanding of globalization. He tells us about his career and his life experiences.

First of all, Pascal talked to us about his career, a course that was not predestined. At first, he only wanted to be useful - to serve his country. That is what he has built his career on, and helped him know how to grasp opportunities that came up. His first opportunity arose was while he was doing military prep for the army while still at school. Pascal got noticed and it was suggested that he apply for an adjunct position for his military duty. Consequently, he spent two years serving France by working at the Embassy in El Salvador in the 1980s, at the time when that country was experiencing a civil war. It was that experience that led him to know what he really wanted to do.

After that, Pascal made his own opportunities. He sent his CV everywhere, including to the national assembly. He got his chance and worked as a parliamentarian for two years. He also worked on Jacques Chirac's campaign as a result of a suggestion regarding the French policy towards Latin America that would be established if he was elected president. This allowed Pascal to look after the interests of French people abroad, as well as giving him the opportunity to travel abroad with the Deputy and Mayor of the 20th district of Paris to campaign for Chirac. In this way, Pascal shows us that forcing destiny is not impossible. The only condition is to not get lost along the way, so establishing a guiding principle at the beginning is the key to success. He also adds that a good knowledge of yourself and of your abilities first is a necessity. He states:

"Dare. Don't lock yourself in. There are no borders. There are no limits. The only limits that exist are the ones you impose upon yourself. Have confidence in yourself and know what you can do, then do it. Put it forward. And if the doors remain closed, continue to knock, to break them down."

We asked Pascal why he is so attracted to the international scene and his answer was simple: he wanted to break through the "glass ceiling", to open up new horizons. As to why he is so attached to Latin America, he said its mainly because Latin America embodies the evolution of the world through its daily struggles. In the 80's and '90s, the international stakes were high. As a result, he had the impression he was living history. Ever passionate about the developments in Latin America, Pascal has even written a book entitled "FARC: confession d’un guerrillero” (FARC: Confessions of a Guerrilla) which discusses the historical guerrilla warfare in Colombia that began in 1964 and was led by Manuel Marulanda. He is well-placed to talk about this war as he was friends with Colombia’s former President, Andrès Pastrana, and so found himself at the heart of the negotiations with FARC.

We asked him if he felt that the recurrent violence in Latin America is linked to social conditions or if it is based on its culture. He believes that it’s because of development and the distribution of wealth. Latin America’s current social and economic problems are because Covid 19 has revealed the structural problems of the economy, particularly in terms of taxation, so we can determine that there is a bad development.

Finally, we asked him a question concerning France. Could France's slowness with regard to the rollout of a vaccine be indicative of France's drop in status as economic, industrial, and scientific power? Pascal answer was unequivocal. We must first remind ourselves of France's strengths: its nuclear power, its language, its culture, and its part in the founding of Europe. He also stressed that the forces of yesterday will not be the forces of tomorrow, and so it’s necessary to look at artificial intelligence, legal standards, technology, and patents because they will be the driving forces of the future. Although France has foundations that are based on contemporary history but, as is the case with other countries, it will have to face tomorrow's competition and turn towards these new fields. For Pascal, this Covid era is as pivotal a time as the World Wars were. It’s during such times that a new world is built.