International Periscope

France: The Meltdown of Monsieur de Villepin
Perhaps it was only a matter of time before he snapped. Less than a year ago, French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin had a 45 percent approval rating (decent by French standards) and appeared confident in his role as President Jacques Chirac's heir apparent. In recent months, however, he's been under increasing pressure: mass pro-tests against labor reform made his winter a misery, while allegations that he had tried to use a government investigation to smear rival Nicolas Sarkozy backed him even further into a corner. But still, no one expected an outburst like the one on June 20. Accusing socialist leader François Hollande of "cowardice" in the National Assembly, de Villepin drew a furious reaction from opponents—and earned calls for his resignation from within his own ranks.

Can de Villepin come back after his latest outburst? Probably not, given that his approval ratings had already fallen to 26 percent before the incident. "Villepin is sort of the anti-alchemist—if he touches gold, it will turn to lead in the public eye," says Gaël Sliman, assistant director of the Boulogne-based polling firm BVA Opinion. That's bad news for Chirac, who had handpicked de Villepin to continue his policies once he steps down. Now experts believe the president, too, is being tarred by de Villepin's collapse. France can only wonder whether a politically savvy dinosaur like Chirac will let himself be dragged down further by his protégé.

—Tracy McNicoll