Cartoonist Patrick Chappatte draws to enlighten, to amuse and sometimes to expose

Patrick Chappatte is one of the most gifted cartoonists in the world. Born of a Lebanese mother and Swiss father in Karachi, Pakistan in 1967, he draws for Le Temps, Neue Zürcher Zeitung (Sunday edition) and the International Herald Tribune. His coverage of the Financial Crash of 2008 has been of a very high standard, as is evident from the attached cartoon which shows a damaged structure, representing the the American economy, teetering on the brink of disaster. Another depicts Wall Street and leading financial houses hurtling towards a Black Hole.

Chappatte believes in freedom of speech but he also believes that it should not be exercised for the purpose of deliberating provoking people in order to pick a fight with them. Answering the question of news reporter Bernard Léchot with reference to the controversy over the Danish cartoons, Chappatte approach is one that could be expected from an artist who relies on his genius and not on crude tactics to attract an audience:

“Personally, I'm not interested in provoking for the sake of provocation. Drawing is a weapon, but a weapon one should use with care. In this case I find it a bit cheap to test one's freedom on the back of someone else's faith.

The second book of Chappatte's cartoons from the International Herald Tribune was published in 2007. It covers the war in Iraq from Chappatte’s unique perspective as well as other events during the second Bush term between 2005-2007. It is titled "Globalized 2005-2007: Cartoons from the Int'l Herald Tribune" Globe Cartoon Publisher, Geneva.