Pierre Lellouche

Pierre Lellouche (born on May 3, 1951), is a lawyer and geopolitics specialist, recognized as a right-wing political figure in France.

He is also known for his work as a columnist and author.

Following Tunisia's attainment of independence in 1956, the family relocated to Paris.

There, Noël Lellouche initially worked for Renault before opening his own restaurant.

He pursued higher education at Lycée Condorcet in Paris.

A few years later, he graduated with a higher degree from the Faculty of Law of Paris X-Nanterre (1972) and from the Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris (1973), holding a Master of Laws (LLM) and a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School and graduated in Masters in Public Law Advanced studies (1973) from Paris Nanterre University

In 1973, he attended Harvard Law School on an Arthur Sachs fellowship.

Resuming his studies, he earned his LLM in 1974, followed by an SJD in 1978.

His doctorate dissertation focused on the 'Internationalization of the nuclear fuel cycle as a non-proliferation strategy,' under the guidance of Professor Abram Chayes.

Concurrently, he was a fellow at the Harvard Center for Science and International Affairs, studying under the mentorship of Joseph Nye and Stanley Hoffmann.

He briefly paused his academic pursuits to serve in the French Army from 1976 to 1977.

In 1978 worked with Raymond Aron at the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme, within the Study and Research Group on International Problems (GERPI).

In 1979, he co-founds the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) with Thierry de Montbrial.

From 1980 to 1995, he served as a columnist for the news magazines Newsweek and Le Point.

He continues to contribute thought-provoking articles to various newspapers and magazines, and as of 2023, he remains an active writer and publisher.

In 1986, he became a part of the consulting team for Jacques Chirac.

Until 1988, he was Deputy Director of IFRI, in charge of Politico-military studies.

At the same time, he taught International Relations at several institutions, including INSEAD Business School, the École Supérieure de Guerre Military Academy, and Galatasaray University in Istanbul.

In 1988, he was assistant editor-in-chief of quarterly journal Politique Étrangère.

He then served as Chirac's diplomatic adviser from 1989 to 1996 during which time Chirac held various positions: Mayor of Paris, President of the RPR party, and, from 1995 onwards, President of the French Republic.

Elected as a deputy in Sarcelles in 1993, he subsequently represented the 4th constituency of Paris from 1997 until his appointment as Secretary of State for European Affairs in June 2009.

Lellouche was a member of the National Assembly of France, first for Val d'Oise's 8th constituency (1993-1997) and later for Paris' 4th constituency (1997-2009).

In parliament, Pierre Lellouche served on the Defense Committee (1993-1994 and 1997–2002) and the Committee on Foreign Affairs (1995-1997 and 2002–2007).

However, Edouard Balladur, who had been defeated by Chirac in 1995, secured the position as a form of "compensation."

On the local level, Lellouche was also a municipal councillor of Cannes (1995-2001) and a councillor of Paris (since 2001; reelected in 2008).

In addition to his committee assignments, he was a member of the French delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly from 1997 until 2009; he served as the Assembly's president from November 2004 to November 2006.

From 2002, Lellouche was also a member of "The Reformers" within the UMP group, which advocated deep reform of the administration and liberalization of the economy.

In 2002, Pierre Lellouche authored a bill to increase penalties for racist and anti-Semitic offenses.

This proposal was unanimously adopted by the National Assembly on December 10, 2002, and became known as the "Lellouche Law".

2002-09 - Negotiator, mandated by Jacques Chirac, for France on the ITER experimental reactor (thermonuclear fusion) at Cadarache, against the competing Japanese location at Fukushima.

After the 2007 French legislative elections, Pierre Lellouche received backing from his political allies, Nicolas Sarkozy and François Fillon, for the role of chair of either the National Assembly's Committee on Foreign Affairs or the Defence Committee.

In 2008, Pierre Lellouche was appointed by French President Sarkozy as special advisor on Franco-Turkish affairs during a period of heightened diplomatic tensions between the two countries.

In 2009, he was appointed as special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In this role, he collaborated closely with Richard Holbrooke of the United States, Bernd Mützelburg of Germany, and Sherard Cowper-Coles of the United Kingdom.

In November 2010, Lellouche was appointed Secretary of State for Foreign Trade in the Fillon III government, a position he held until the end of Nicolas Sarkozy's presidency in May 2012.

As State Secretary for European Affairs, Lellouche was involved in the negotiations on the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) in 2010.

He was re-elected as a deputy for the 1st constituency of Paris in June 2012, serving until April 2017, when he retired from elective politics.

Since then, he has continued his career as a lawyer, geopolitics consultant, member of influential think tanks, and columnist.

Pierre Lellouche was born in Tunis (Tunisie), among the Jewish community/ He is one of four children of Noël Lellouche, who had fought in the Free French Forces during World War II.

From 2020, he serves as a regular guest commentator on the French TV channel CNews.