The Monocle Minute

It’s fair to describe the French as a sceptical bunch. But after a spectacular first week of the Olympics, they seem to have had a change of heart. Monocle Radio has been in the French capital to see the city flex its soft-power muscle. So far, we have heard from Olympic and Paralympic athletes, entrepreneurs in the worlds of hospitality and perfumery, artists inspired by the French capital’s creative scene and architects helping deliver a better urban future. The message is unanimous: the Games’ biggest winner is the city of Paris itself.

The Games has been a masterclass in public planning. Putting on such a large-scale event is an expensive affair: this year’s edition cost the organising committee some €4.38bn. In contrast to previous Olympic hosts, however, Paris has only built two new structures for the Games: Le Bourget Sport Climbing Venue and the Aquatics Centre. Both will benefit the city in the long-term by incorporating new retail, leisure and public spaces into neglected areas.

Yet the most remarkable aspect of this year’s Olympics has been the repurposing of the French capital’s landmarks as spaces for sport. Brand Paris has been placed at the forefront of the event, transforming historical buildings such as the Grand Palais and Les Invalides into arenas for fencing and archery. Just two weeks ago, imagining a skatepark and a BMX track in the historic Place de La Concorde would have been unfathomable. But over the past week, the largest public square in the capital has been filled with spectators. Brand Paris is all about hospitality and the city put on a welcome of a lifetime.

Carlota Rebelo is Monocle’s senior foreign correspondent and producer of‘The Urbanist’. Tune in to our coverage from the Olympic Games on‘Monocle in Paris’every weekday at 09.00 Paris time on Monocle Radio. For more opinion, analysis and insight,subscribeto Monocle today.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, vowed last week to avenge the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh as “Tehran’s duty”. Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli strike in the Iranian capital, with thousands attending his funeral procession the following day. It was the second high-profile assassination attributed to Israel, the other being an airstrike in Beirut that killed Hezbollah’s top military leader. Their deaths mark a clear escalation of tensions in the Middle East.

“Iran has made some pretty big gambles since January,” Holly Dagres, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, told The Briefing on Monocle Radio, referring to the country’s aerial strike against Israel in April. “The fact that the assassination happened on Iranian soil makes another airborne attack seem likely.” During a televised statement, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, later said that his country was “prepared for any scenario”.

The EU Commission has set up a dedicated team to prepare the bloc for the possible repercussions of a US presidency under Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. Formed by the office of the commission’s secretary-general, Ilze Juhansone, the team will devise strategies to tackle concerns such as Trump’s vow to impose fresh tariffs on EU products, as well as his threat to pull the US out of Nato and disrupt military support to Ukraine.

The previous Trump presidency saw the introduction of tit-for-tat economic measures between Europe and the US, many of which were paused or dropped under Joe Biden. His removal from the democratic ticket has put the continuity of his policies into question and there is some uncertainty about Harris’s position on Ukraine. With neither candidate taking a decisive lead in the polls, Europe needs to brace for any eventuality.

As Sigonella marks its 65th anniversary, Monocle travels to the Sicilian hub of US naval air operations in the Mediterranean to meet the men, women and dogs serving there.

To read the article, pick up a copy of the‘Monocle Mediterraneo Newspaper’, which is available now.

This week on The Stack we speak with renowned creative director and logotype expert Yorgo Tloupas about his recent projects. We also chat to KK Obi, founder of Boy.Brother.Friend.