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February 23, 2003
What France Should Really Be Worried About
Jaques Chirac must have a lot on his mind.
The punditry has already exposed and discussed many of the problems facing Mr. Chirac: the reduced efficacy of NATO thanks to his interference, the fracturing of the EU thanks to his angry comments, the growing irrelevance of the United Nations thanks to his intransigence, the imminent collapse of his own ruling coalition thanks to his arrogance, and not to mention a potential boycott of all things French by the U.S. consumer, which could plunge an already weak French economy into further disarray.
For Mr. Chirac, destroying the good will between the United States and France seems to be a greater priority than the disarming of Iraq. And when the leadership of France decides that their relationship with a tyranical oil despot is worth more than their relationship with the nation that freed France itself from tyranny, then it's a bad day for all of Europe.
So if you ask me, things don't look good for the future of France. In 1930, no one predicted the complete defeat of the French only a decade later. Likewise, no one today is predicting the complete defeat of the French between now and 2020. That is, no one-- except for me.
I don't know whether it will be five years or fifteen, but I do know that it's going to happen. History repeats, especially French history.
And that's what makes this such a very dangerous game that the French are playing. Who will save France the next time they are overrun by the barbarian hordes? (And they will be overrun- this is the French we are talking about.) Twice the United States came to the rescue. But would the people of the United States say yes for a third time?
Even now, only 18 months since the most devastating attack ever made on our nation, the United States seems reluctant about going to war; even war against a ruler whose cruelty and ill intent are beyond denial.
Beware, France, lest we be even more reluctant to save you (yet again), at some not-so-distant point in the future.
Posted by crandal at February 23, 2003 08:42 PM