 "...antidemocratic sentiment was not merely an ephermeral trend, but a defining feature of 20th-century French political culture" |
Posted on 04/20/2003 6:28:53 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
France is in a diplomatic pickle, wanting both to heal the rift with America and to play up the nation’s newfound prominence. How will its president balance the two desires?
April 28 issue — Late in life, Francois Mitterrand let slip the news of a secret war. “France does not know it yet, but we are at war with America,” reports his biographer, Georges-Marc Benamou. “A permanent war... a war without death. They are very hard, the Americans—they are voracious. They want undivided power over the world.”
FRANCE’S CURRENT PRESIDENT, Jacques Chirac, likens himself more to Charles de Gaulle than to Mitterrand. But never mind. The message is the same. America and France are at war—and it’s no secret anymore. With the conflict winding down in Iraq, both sides are assessing the fallout from their diplomatic battles. The French—85 percent of whom opposed the war—are beginning to realize the consequences of dissent. “If Jacques Chirac persists in making the U.N. his next battlefield... he’ll be dignified, glorious, solitary, and maybe even moving,” opined the weekly L’Express. But the magazine also noted that he would be “without relevance.”
As for Washington? Chirac may claim that his threatened Security Council veto in the run-up to war was a matter of principle. But the White House took it personally. If administration hawks get their way, France will pay. Punish France, ignore Germany and forgive Russia, national-security adviser Condoleezza Rice reportedly said in Moscow last week. George Bush himself is said to deeply mistrust Chirac. U.S. officials fully expect the French to obstruct the next round of Iraq diplomacy at the United Nations. “What is their strategy?” asks one sarcastically. “Are they going to refuse to recognize the new Iraqi government? Are they going to recognize the government of Saddam Hussein?” The last thing anyone wants to see is Iraq’s future bogged down in Paris.
[snip]
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.com ...
Chiraq is in a "quagmire".
If by "prominent", the writer means "sticking out like a baboon's orange butt", she's right. But France is only "prominent" because everybody is pointing at them and laughing.
We have to repeat 1,000,000 times that we want each individual to have "undivided power over the world".
That's called "liberty", or "freedom" to most people. In a hard to understand twist, that's what makes the world a better place. That's the essence of America (and the purpose of Free Republic).
You owe me a new keyboard. Morning coffee spew.. :-)
Reality check. We have undivided power over the world. Even if we were to choose to give Paris veto power over everything we do, it's still our choice and our power.
They're orange-butted cheese eating surrender monkeys.
Anyone who openly declares war on America should understand the consequences of his actions. If unsure, ask the Taliban, ask Sadam.
It is one thing to not be particularly friendly, or to be competitive, it is another to declare war, even in a figurative way.
Once a sleazy politico, always a sleazy politico.
NATO as a group including France, may no longer be relevant. What is needed is a group of countries with the intentions and capabilites to get things done - a "coalition of the willing" as GWB calls it, aligned with the US. Now that could change the world for the better.
Their what? Man, what a strange world they must live in. Witch's mirror: "Mirror Mirror on the wall, who is the most important of all."
ROTFLMAO!
France is failing economically. Chirac's bad behavior has only exacerbated that decline. They may just turn on him when they begin to evaluate the damages.
The French love to bash America and we have been letting them get away with it. NO MORE. They don't get that we're P*SSED OFF after 9/11 and those who get in our way will suffer our rath. Like O'Reilly said last week the American consumer fuels the world's economy, it's our choice who to buy from, or where to go on vacation.
By the 21st and 22nd words of this article it is clear the author is completely clueless.
A good rule to follow: Disregard anything written in Newsweek.
I wouldn't count on it. I doubt many Americans would give a baboon's butt for 'French charm'.
Hm. Didn't know I was an "administration hawk." I'm not even in the administration. But I'm still not buying French products.
With harder times ahead. There was an article a day or two ago that said that half of this year's grapes in the Champagne(?) region have been wiped out by unseasonable frost (dang that global warming!).
| "...antidemocratic sentiment was not merely an ephermeral trend, but a defining feature of 20th-century French political culture" |
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