Article

2003-02-06 Europe

France "no longer NATO partner" according to Pravda

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Posted by Steve White 2003-02-06 12:35 am|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 From Mark Steyn's colum in the National Post:

...Meanwhile, the peacenik predisposition of the other Continentals is a useful cover for French ambition. Last year Paavo Lipponen, the Finnish Prime Minister, declared that "the EU must not develop into a military superpower but must become a great power that will not take up arms at any occasion in order to defend its own interests." This sounds insane. But, to France, it has a compelling logic. You can't beat the Americans on the battlefield, but you can tie them down limb by limb in the UN and other supranational bodies.

In other words, this is the war, this is the real battlefield, not the sands of Mesopotamia. And, on this terrain, Americans always lose. Either they win but get no credit, as in Afghanistan. Or they win a temporary constrained victory to be subverted by subsequent French machinations, as in the last Gulf War. This time round, who knows? But through it all France is admirably upfront in its unilateralism: It reserves the right to treat French Africa as its colonies, Middle Eastern dictators as its clients, the European Union as a Greater France and the UN as a kind of global condom to prevent the spread of Americanization. All this it does shamelessly and relatively effectively. It's time the rest of the West was so clear-sighted....

Posted by Anonymous 2003-02-06 02:00:25|| 2003-02-06 02:00:25|| Front Page Top

#2 We demand more proof, i.e., a "smoking gun" before we accept the fact that France is not our true-blue NATO ally....It is inconceivable that a member of NATO would do such a thing (well, they did walk out before, but that was DeGaulle, see)

Posted by Alaska Paul 2003-02-06 13:26:46|| 2003-02-06 13:26:46|| Front Page Top

#3 Quite honestly if the French vote against or use their veto, then its time to take the 'ol buick (NATO) for a re-alignment. Even the Russians right now would make better allies. (Get them into NATO, what a thought) There's no reason to be so obstructionist about this, unless you don't want to lose billions in trade with Iraq, in which case you're putting your financial welfare ahead of your ally's personal welfare, in which case you're not really an ally are you.

On the other hand, if I may be permitted to venture, some of this may have to do with another topic: American support of Israel. Whenever I speak to normal Europeans (I personally don't know any other kind), they put increasing blame on Washington for the troubles in the land of the holy. I wonder how much of this has permeated into political circles in Europe.

Posted by Rw 2003-02-06 14:26:15|| 2003-02-06 14:26:15|| Front Page Top

#4 Don't write off France yet. There are now over 20 anti-jihad websites in France, including www.aipj.net, versus only a couple a year ago. Also a self-described "Resistance" has formed in Corsica, and have claimed least two bombings of Maghrebi targets. En garde, Abdullah!!!

Posted by Crusader Fromage 2003-02-06 18:04:51|| 2003-02-06 18:04:51|| Front Page Top

#5 Yank - agreed - I feel safer knowing the Europeans have weak militaries. Two wars in Europe were enough.

Posted by paj 2003-02-06 20:13:00|| 2003-02-06 20:13:00|| Front Page Top

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