Simon Malley
Encyclopedia
Simon Malley was a prominent francophone
journalist and a strong supporter of Third World
independence movements.
Malley was "one of the best known francophone journalists of his generation" and a "partisan, fearless and controversial" writer who spoke and wrote easily in both French and English as well as his native Arabic, according to his obituary in The Guardian
of London.
to a Jewish-Syrian
family of modest circumstances. After graduating from high school, he became a journalist and was sent by an Egyptian newspaper to cover the United Nations
. In New York City, he met his wife, Barbara, an American, when she worked for the United Nations delegation of the National Liberation Front
(NLF), the Algeria
n independence group. Malley took up the cause of the NLF and was important in publicizing its cause.
Malley supported Gamal Abdul Nasser's revolution in Egypt in 1952, and Nasser made him the representative of the Egyptian daily newspaper Al Goumhouria in New York City.
He moved to France in 1969, where he founded the journal "Africasia" (its name was changed to "Afrique-Asie later on; he also began a second magazine called L'Economiste du Tiers Mondeand also then edited an English version which was called Africasia) and was led by his wife, Barbara Malley . The journal published reports from Third World areas which received relatively little coverage elsewhere, and its contributors included Third World economists and academics.
Malley became the "best known voice" of Third World anti-colonialist movements. He conducted a 20-hour interview with Fidel Castro
, and long interviews with Yasser Arafat
and Oliver Tambo
. "At Non-Aligned Movement meetings other journalists had press passes; he had a delegate's pass", according to his obituary in The Guardian
. One of the Third World movements that the magazine was friendly toward was the Palestine Liberation Organization
.
Afrique Asie became a longtime critic of the regimes of King Hassan II of Morocco
and Mobutu Sese Seko
in Zaire
, among others. Malley was a strong critic of French foreign policy and alleged intelligence activities in Africa. In October 1980, at the end of the administration of French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
, French special services police pulled Malley from a taxi and put him on a plane to New York City without his passport. In the airport at New York, an airline employee helped him avoid customs in order to take another flight, and he spent eight months in Geneva, Switzerland editing his journal until the election of President François Mitterrand
, then returned to France with the assent of the new administration.
Simon and Barbara Malley's son, Robert Malley
, was a national security advisor in the Clinton administration and foreign policy advisor in the Barack Obama
presidential campaign. Robert Malley wrote about Third Worldism and its decline in his book, The Call From Algeria: Third Worldism, Revolution, and the Turn to Islam, described in a Times Literary Supplement review as "a personal perspective on the movement in which his father played a notable part, and an epitaph of sorts." Their other son, Richard, is a prominent pediatrician at Children's Hospital Boston where he develops affordable vaccines for use in the developing world. Simon and Barbara Malley also have a daughter, Nadia, who works in a travel clinic and is active in various political and social issues.
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
journalist and a strong supporter of Third World
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
independence movements.
Malley was "one of the best known francophone journalists of his generation" and a "partisan, fearless and controversial" writer who spoke and wrote easily in both French and English as well as his native Arabic, according to his obituary in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
of London.
Life and career
Simon Malley was born in CairoCairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
to a Jewish-Syrian
Syrian Jews
Syrian Jews are Jews who inhabit the region of the modern state of Syria, and their descendants born outside Syria. Syrian Jews derive their origin from two groups: from the Jews who inhabited the region of today's Syria from ancient times Syrian Jews are Jews who inhabit the region of the modern...
family of modest circumstances. After graduating from high school, he became a journalist and was sent by an Egyptian newspaper to cover the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. In New York City, he met his wife, Barbara, an American, when she worked for the United Nations delegation of the National Liberation Front
National Liberation Front (Algeria)
The National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Algeria. It was set up on November 1, 1954 as a merger of other smaller groups, to obtain independence for Algeria from France.- Anticolonial struggle :...
(NLF), the Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
n independence group. Malley took up the cause of the NLF and was important in publicizing its cause.
Malley supported Gamal Abdul Nasser's revolution in Egypt in 1952, and Nasser made him the representative of the Egyptian daily newspaper Al Goumhouria in New York City.
He moved to France in 1969, where he founded the journal "Africasia" (its name was changed to "Afrique-Asie later on; he also began a second magazine called L'Economiste du Tiers Mondeand also then edited an English version which was called Africasia) and was led by his wife, Barbara Malley . The journal published reports from Third World areas which received relatively little coverage elsewhere, and its contributors included Third World economists and academics.
Malley became the "best known voice" of Third World anti-colonialist movements. He conducted a 20-hour interview with Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
, and long interviews with Yasser Arafat
Yasser Arafat
Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini , popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his kunya Abu Ammar , was a Palestinian leader and a Laureate of the Nobel Prize. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization , President of the Palestinian National Authority...
and Oliver Tambo
Oliver Tambo
Oliver Reginald Tambo was a South African anti-apartheid politician and a central figure in the African National Congress .-Biography:Oliver Tambo was born in Bizana in eastern Pondoland in what is now Eastern Cape...
. "At Non-Aligned Movement meetings other journalists had press passes; he had a delegate's pass", according to his obituary in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
. One of the Third World movements that the magazine was friendly toward was the Palestine Liberation Organization
Palestine Liberation Organization
The Palestine Liberation Organization is a political and paramilitary organization which was created in 1964. It is recognized as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" by the United Nations and over 100 states with which it holds diplomatic relations, and has enjoyed...
.
Afrique Asie became a longtime critic of the regimes of King Hassan II of Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and Mobutu Sese Seko
Mobutu Sese Seko
Mobutu Sese Seko Nkuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga , commonly known as Mobutu or Mobutu Sese Seko , born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, was the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1965 to 1997...
in Zaire
Zaire
The Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...
, among others. Malley was a strong critic of French foreign policy and alleged intelligence activities in Africa. In October 1980, at the end of the administration of French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing is a French centre-right politician who was President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981...
, French special services police pulled Malley from a taxi and put him on a plane to New York City without his passport. In the airport at New York, an airline employee helped him avoid customs in order to take another flight, and he spent eight months in Geneva, Switzerland editing his journal until the election of President François Mitterrand
François Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
, then returned to France with the assent of the new administration.
Simon and Barbara Malley's son, Robert Malley
Robert Malley
Robert Malley is an American lawyer, political scientist and specialist in conflict resolution. He is currently Program Director for Middle East and North Africa at the International Crisis Group in Washington, D.C., and a former Special Assistant to President Bill Clinton for Arab-Israeli Affairs...
, was a national security advisor in the Clinton administration and foreign policy advisor in the Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
presidential campaign. Robert Malley wrote about Third Worldism and its decline in his book, The Call From Algeria: Third Worldism, Revolution, and the Turn to Islam, described in a Times Literary Supplement review as "a personal perspective on the movement in which his father played a notable part, and an epitaph of sorts." Their other son, Richard, is a prominent pediatrician at Children's Hospital Boston where he develops affordable vaccines for use in the developing world. Simon and Barbara Malley also have a daughter, Nadia, who works in a travel clinic and is active in various political and social issues.