The man who whispers in the ears of presidents: Attali
He is known as the 'mentor' of French President Emmanuel Macron. He is even called "the man who whispers in the ears of Presidents" in the French press. Who is Jacques Attali and why is he so important?
Jacques Attali is a figure who left his mark on the last quarter century of French politics. From Mitterrand to Sarkozy and from Hollande to Macron, he is the constant top adviser and mentor to the leaders who have ruled the fate of France in the past 25 years. So much so that the French press calls Attali "the man who whispers in the ears of the Presidents".
When Sarkozy was elected President in 2007, he appointed Attali to head a commission focused on economic development. Attali's first job was to bring Macron to the rapporteur of the said commission.
It was Attali who introduced Hollande to Macron. It is not a coincidence that Hollande made Macron a minister in this sense. Just as it is not a coincidence that Attali said "Macron has a Presidential cloth" in a television program he participated in in 2014.
How does Attali influence French President Emmanuel Macron? Did Macron sit in this chair thanks to Attali?
Saying that “Macron sat in this chair thanks to Attali” would be a claim that needs a lot of concrete support. But did Attali have a role in this? Definitely!
It was Attali who proposed Macron's first prime minister, Edouard Philippe, to Macron. Even this shows the "trust" relationship between the two. Therefore, it is impossible to deny the existence of a strong influence. Likewise, Attali is the mind behind revival of the Ministry of the Sea in France in 2020. In his book titled “History of the Sea” published in 2017, Attali was already describing the attempts of France to become a naval power in the 21st century. This being the case, it does not seem surprising that the idea of the Ministry of the Sea was put back into practice.
So, what kind of Mediterranean does Attali dream of?
Attali considers the Mediterranean the "first step" for France's dominance over the seas. But France has no such power, never has and probably never will.
Attali argues that if such a pattern does not settle, the Mediterranean may become a "area of maritime terror." That's exactly what he says in his 2017 book.
THE TOPIC OF LEGO RELIGIONS
Attali is one of the most influential intellectuals on European culture today. Attali argues that religions will become lego in the future. What does lego of faith mean? Everyone will take a piece of different religions and form their own religion out of them. Such a belief predicts the future.
Attali has around 50 books. He was born on 1 November 1943 in Algeria to a Jewish family. He completed his secondary education in Paris and his high school education at Gauthier High School in Algeria. He graduated from École Polytechniqu in 1963 as a Mining Engineer. He started his working life as a mining engineer in 1968. He was special adviser to President Mitterrand from 1981 to 1991. It was during this period that he gained his intellectual reputation. He served as the founding president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London from 1991-1993.