[LaBelleDameSansMerci]

"...Blue monkeys are flying out of my butt....

That's a common syndrome in countries whose populations expect their butt to be kissed by the grateful populations of countries who have been liberated by the former.

I believe it's called "Monkey Butt Syndrome". Blue monkey butt occurs, according to experts, when the syndrome is well advanced.

There is no known cure.

[syriacus]

What do we call the syndrome where NATO countries help Europe solve its "Yugoslavia" problem and fairly shortly thereafter NATO refuses to protect Turkey?

[XJarhead]

I agree that the French are not obligated to support us on this. However, the timing and tone of their comments and statements have been designed to undercut our position as much as possible. The jumped the gun and announced their opposition within NATO to the Iraq operation even before the NATO ministers met in January.

They are intentionally being difficult to assert their vaunted French independence. "See? We can spit in the faces of the Americans because we are just as good as they are." That's been their attitude. Being different just to be different

That is not the attitude of an ally who reluctantly cannot support you becuase of an honest difference of opinion. It's an attitude of a supposed friend pissing on your shoes because he know you won't do anything about it.