France’s Prime Minister

We should not be so quick to applaud France’s first lady prime minister. There is no doubt that Edith Cresson’s ascendancy to the right hand of the left-leaning government comes as a welcome relief to the 20 million French women who still suffer under the intolerable yoke of male chauvinism. But from a more global perspective, the preordained politically rewarding appointment signals a contracting move by a nation that must do more than simply have a woman administering its foreign affairs.

France must begin to relax its xenophobia. To rightfully take its place in the expanding world market, France must begin to actually embrace the confidence that it has artfully exuded for so long. The competitive methods advocated by Prime Minister Cresson of warnings and protectionism are diametrically opposed to the underpinnings of the new European market.

Such shortsighted thinking inhibits the growth of the European Community and places France in the dark shadows of market progress.

The prime minister of any country with the potential market strength of France--man or woman--must first understand that the most productive competition comes from offering the highest quality at the most favorable terms, not from wasting precious energy in attempting to limit others’ skills and abilities while circling the wagons.

LAWRENCE R. GORDON

Santa Monica