In the U.S. political sphere, the colour red is associated with the Grand Old Party (GOP). Today, the Deep South remains a Republican stronghold. It was not always the case... Democrat Doug Jones's victory in Alabama is widely seen as a political earthquake. For good reasons. No Democrat has represented this "red" state in the Senate for the last 25 years. The thing is, Alabama and the other U.S. Southern States were not always favourable to the GOP. Here is why: During the C

The State of Alabama has said No to Roy Moore and its ultra-conservative agenda. Even though I knew Alabama, on of the most conservative states in the U.S. had become a toss-up in the final days of the campaign, I remained convinced Moore would carry the day. After all, the State had not elected a Democrat since 1992! How glad I am this morning that I was proven wrong! Not only Moore, a man stuck in the 1950s with his backward views on society, a man who has been accused by a

Following the release of my latest book on De Gaulle's 1967 visit to Canada, I decided to add the article I posted on my Facebook Olivier Courteaux Historian page back in July. In 1967, accepting Quebec Premier Daniel Johnson’s invitation to visit Expo 67 in Montreal, Charles de Gaulle, then president of the French Republic, made no secret of his intention "to make waves." On more than one occasion he had pledged he would not officially congratulate Canada on its centennial:

Ever since Donald Trump declared himself candidate to the U.S. presidency, psychologists and psychiatrists have debated over his state of mind. Is he mentally ill? Is he fit to be president? In November 2016, barely three weeks after the election, three professors of psychiatry sent an open letter to Barack Obama, in which "they express [their] grave concern regarding the mental stability of our President-Elect." According to them, his symptoms of mental instability include "

Hidden by the splendors of Versailles are the pleasures of the Queen's Petit Trianon hideaway In the 18th century, without a carriage, the journey from Paris to Versailles, the residence of the King of France, was anything but enjoyable. Imagine sharing a six-hour ride with another 20 passengers on a huge, uncomfortable covered cart, called a carabas. Versailles was a popular destination. Three days a week, les jours d'appartements, the palace was open to the public. That tra

Donald Trump's announcement on Wednesday has been met with reservations - an understatement! Only the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, hailed the decision as "historical". A year ago, he welcomed Trump's victory and vowed the make the alliance between Israel and the U.S. "greater than ever". The question is: was there always a "special relationship" between the two countries? As it is, the "special relationship"only flourished in 1967, following the Six-Day War. In

Marie-Antoinette dressed in a Gaulle by Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun, 1783. ​ Breaking with tradition and in tune with the return-to-nature fashion so prevalent in the 1780s among ladies of the aristocracy, the Queen is wearing a simple white muslin dress and a straw hat, like a country maid. The painter's great attention to details, the almost translucent quality of the dress, immaculate, with its thin layers of delicate material and ruffles, the delicate sash around the waist wer

I have often been asked what triggered my passion for Marie-Antoinette. It actually began the day my dad took me to my very first musical: "La Revolution Francaise". I must have been no older than 9 years old. At the end of the performance, he bought the vinyl record. For the next few days, I listened to the songs over and over again while staring at Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun's famous portrait of Marie-Antoinette holding a rose (it was featured on the record's back cover). The t

Donald Trump is a man who keeps his promises and "delivers"! Impervious to warnings and criticisms, the U.S. president remains determined to chart his own course, regardless of the consequences. In a spectacular, albeit anticipated move, he announced yesterday that the U.S. recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Within hours, Trump's 2020 re-election committee praised "a new promise kept". As usual, the timing of the announcement could not have come at a better time. Acco