Nicolas Qualander is a doctoral student of Middle Eastern politics. He was a member, representing the LCR (French section of the Fourth International), of the international solidarity delegation to Lebanon at the end of July, 2006.
The first round of the local elections took place against a backdrop of widespread creeping fascism in France and comes after a brutal offensive by the far right, during which the traditional ‘Republican’ right has decisively broken from much of its historical framework and values.