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| Europe | ||
| French Pol Blames ’Neo-Con’ Ideas for U.S.-Europe Tensions | ||
| 2004-01-16 | ||
| France’s Defense Minister criticized "certain radical neo-conservative ideas" in the United States as harmful to U.S. relations with Europe. Radical neo-conservative = anybody slighty patriotic.... who’s not French that is. While France remains a major partner of the United States, an easily correctable problem Minister Michele Alliot-Marie singled out on Friday what she called American aspirations for economic supremacy as well as assertions of cultural and political supremacy. ....and then her lips fell off. The French official did not identify whom she held responsible for asserting such views. "It is essential we recognize others’ positions" as part of a trans-Atlantic discourse, she said. In a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a private research group, Alliot-Marie emphasized that Europeans had "a different sensibility" from the United States toward the Arab-Muslim world. They’re terrified of them. Actually, that’s pretty sensible. Outlining the views of France, she said while terrorism is a great threat, its causes must be addressed, which she identified as "the sense of frustration in the face of injustice and poverty
true Alliot-Marie said, while urging "let us work together to eradicate blind violence, but also its roots." Could she mean the existence of the state of Israel? France is neither anti-Semitic nor anti-Israel, the defense minister said, while implicitly holding Israel accountable. Yep. That’s exactly what she meant. "We should be listening more to the Arab-Muslim world," she said. "The sense of injustice and humiliation is really very widespread."
Uh, lady, those quarters happen to be your own foreign minister. France and the Bush administration have been at odds over the U.S.-led war in Iraq, which France tried to block at the United Nations with calls for more weapons searches in preference to going to war. But France has cooperated with the United States in promoting economic recovery in Afghanistan. "Faced with the difficulties the U.S. is encountering in certain parts of the world, it needs the support of its European allies," she said. On Thursday, in Paris, the French defense minister said France, Germany and Japan could work together closely to train Iraq’s police and soldiers once | ||
| Posted by:Secret Master |
| #7 I see that France has finally reached the rare Two more successes like this and France will be a province of San Marino. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2004-1-16 5:51:07 PM |
| #6 "It's all the fault of the Joooos--" *whack!* "er, it's the Zioni--" *whack!* "The neocons are to blame! Yeah, that's it!" |
| Posted by: BH 2004-1-16 5:43:25 PM |
| #5 I'm stunned by the cultural supremacy comment. The US is one of the few countries in the world that doesn't have a "domestic content" law for TV, radio, and movies. And, hell, the French are so convinced of the superiority of their culture they have to pass regulations on words. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2004-1-16 4:56:48 PM |
| #4 Why do the French keep missing good opportunities to shut up? |
| Posted by: Desert Blondie 2004-1-16 4:37:27 PM |
| #3 American aspirations for economic supremacy as well as assertions of cultural and political supremacy. what the f@!*..... so we are supposed to reduce our economic output because whinning eurotrash cannot keep up.... as for culture - it is not our fault your own people perfer american culture over thier own - we did not go and force these people. as for political - same as economic - put some real teeth behind your diplomacy and stop assuming you will be listined to just because your are french. the europeans have created their sad state of affairs. by depending on uncle sam to handle all the nasties issues they have become somewhat of joke - their ability does not match their mouths/aspirations. and from what i see it is only going to get worse. |
| Posted by: Dan 2004-1-16 4:37:05 PM |
| #2 While France remains a major partner of the United States,.. In what? |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-1-16 4:20:04 PM |
| #1 dream on witch. You can come in Iraq when either we, or the new Iraqi govn't deem that you can. But I don't expect that we or they will be forgetting all the assistance you provided to rid them of Sadaam, The People Shredder, any time soon. Bluster all you want. But if you want to keep your cushy job, I suggest you convert to being Muslim. Once they get a little stronger hold on your country, there won't be room for an infidel like you. |
| Posted by: B 2004-1-16 4:19:35 PM |