Our War With France By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN It's time we Americans came to terms with something: France is not just our annoying ally. It is not just our jealous rival. France is becoming our enemy. If you add up how France behaved in the run-up to the Iraq war (making it impossible for the Security Council to put a real ultimatum to Saddam Hussein that might have avoided a war), and if you look at how France behaved during the war (when its foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin, refused to answer the question of whether he wanted Saddam or America to win in Iraq), and if you watch how France is behaving today (demanding some kind of loopy symbolic transfer of Iraqi sovereignty to some kind of hastily thrown together Iraqi provisional government, with the rest of Iraq's transition to democracy to be overseen more by a divided U.N. than by America), then there is only one conclusion one can draw: France wants America to fail in Iraq. France wants America to sink in a quagmire there in the crazy hope that a weakened U.S. will pave the way for France to assume its "rightful" place as America's equal, if not superior, in shaping world affairs. Yes, the Bush team's arrogance has sharpened French hostility. Had President Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld not been so full of themselves right after America's military victory in Iraq — and instead used that moment, when the French were feeling that maybe they should have taken part, to magnanimously reach out to Paris to join in reconstruction — it might have softened French attitudes. But even that I have doubts about. What I have no doubts about, though, is that there is no coherent, legitimate Iraqi authority able to assume power in the near term, and trying to force one now would lead to a dangerous internal struggle and delay the building of the democratic institutions Iraq so badly needs. Iraqis know this. France knows this, which is why its original proposal (which it now seems to be backtracking on a bit) could only be malicious. What is so amazing to me about the French campaign — "Operation America Must Fail" — is that France seems to have given no thought as to how this would affect France. Let me spell it out in simple English: if America is defeated in Iraq by a coalition of Saddamists and Islamists, radical Muslim groups — from Baghdad to the Muslim slums of Paris — will all be energized, and the forces of modernism and tolerance within these Muslim communities will be on the run. To think that France, with its large Muslim minority, where radicals are already gaining strength, would not see its own social fabric affected by this is fanciful. If France were serious, it would be using its influence within the European Union to assemble an army of 25,000 Eurotroops, and a $5 billion reconstruction package, and then saying to the Bush team: Here, we're sincere about helping to rebuild Iraq, but now we want a real seat at the management table. Instead, the French have put out an ill-conceived proposal, just to show that they can be different, without any promise that even if America said yes Paris would make a meaningful contribution. But then France has never been interested in promoting democracy in the modern Arab world, which is why its pose as the new protector of Iraqi representative government — after being so content with Saddam's one-man rule — is so patently cynical. Clearly, not all E.U. countries are comfortable with this French mischief, yet many are going along for the ride. It's stunning to me that the E.U., misled by France, could let itself be written out of the most important political development project in modern Middle East history. The whole tone and direction of the Arab-Muslim world, which is right on Europe's doorstep, will be affected by the outcome in Iraq. It would be as if America said it did not care what happened in Mexico because it was mad at Spain. Says John Chipman, director of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies: "What the Europeans are saying about Iraq is that this is our backyard, we're not going to let you meddle in it, but we're not going to tend it ourselves." But what's most sad is that France is right — America will not be as effective or legitimate in its efforts to rebuild Iraq without French help. Having France working with us in Iraq, rather than against us in the world, would be so beneficial for both nations and for the Arabs' future. Too bad this French government has other priorities.
How many of you have read "John Adams"?? There is some interesting history early in his administration that reminds me so much of our dealings with France right now. The spirit of the country was somewhat similar as well...a lot of parallels with how Bush and Adams motivate people using patriotism. Really interesting.
here is the link for Mr Clutch's posting http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/18/o... and Op-Ed/Op-Ed/Columnists/Thomas L Friedman France is one strange place...at times they seem more like North Korea to me than a Western European Ally that benefited from the protection of America for the past 60 years.. but I agree with the article in that all of France's moves seem to be motivated by their desire to become a world power again...
No, but I've heard it's really good. I almost got it last week, but it's always #2 or #3 on my wish list. So I never seem to get around to it...
Let's make France the new Palestinian homeland. It's not much good for anything else. France is struggling to have value in the modern world when it has little. If they didn't have nukes, they'd be just another third world country. France has won one military operation in the past 100 years, and that was against Greenpeace. France is not our ally. They are our enemy and we should treat them as such.
Unfortunately, it has been the position of the French govt. to oppose us simply because they don't like the fact we are the world's lone superpower. They and other nations such as China and Russia want to form a counterbalance to us to act as a check on our power. To me. trying to counter something implies hostility to their aims and motives and that would imply they see us as a threat both economy-wise and militarily, both of which are bogus. In other words, they are our enemy and we should treat them accordingly. I wish the French would get over themselves. Their nation is now 1-4 in their last five wars, getting conquered by the Germans twice and beaten by a bunch of ragtag Viet Minh guerrillas in SE Asia and by the Morrocans in N Africa. The days of Napoleon are long over with and no longer is France a player on the world stage.....yet they want to attempt to be a counterbalance to our so-called "hegemony?"
We're going to have to excercise caution in our war with France. Quebec is both closer and bigger than Cuba. BTW, didn't Saddam's regime owe the French (and the Russians) a whole lot of $$$? That may add some perspective as to why the want their palmed greased (or their egos massaged) to help out in Iraq.
They most certainly did. Iraq bought several hundred Mirage fighter planes from France and had yet to hand over the last bit of the money before the 1990 Gulf War. They never repaid France for their airplanes completely.
Friedman is pissed at France. They didn't support his war with Iraq. What do you expect out of the guy? Interestingly now that we've had the war, he doesn't have to be so careful to not act like a cheerleader for the neocons, occupation and their dream of making the Middle East over in their image. A hissy fit from Fiedman as all is not going as he hoped in Iraq. Expect soon a more usual Friedman story in which he will pretend to crtiticize the US occupation, will somewhat praise the UN and Europe, perhaps even France, but the main point will actually be how only Fiedman knows best.
I bet one can find many articles such as this one where France is specifically trying to take actions against the US...this is from 1999... Japan, France to join forces against US 'hyperpower' http://www.atimes.com/global-econ/AL18Dj01.html
No doubt about it. And we're just renaming French Fries. People talk about Americans not liking France, I think their dislike for us is much more developed. It's one of their biggest political issues.
France is the central power within the EU, and so however Friedman and the rest of you may may want to belittle them, when France talks, it matters. In 10 years time, it's not going to be just the U.S. deciding world affairs. The European Union and China will both have at least an equal say. And if each little disagreement makes them our enemy, we've got a long, lonely 21st Century ahead of us... I for one find it nice to have a govt far more in touch with the rest of the world balancing the U.S.'s increasing unilateral, if not tyrannical, foreign policy. As for Friedman, "hissy fit" is the word. He's probably pissed too that the EU is the largest financial supporter of the PLO, LOL! He picks on France, but you could easily expand his argument to say that "We're at war with the rest of the world".
