France will reveal herself over the next couple of years not only as a false ally, but as an active enemy. The double cross of Colin Powell, and the obstruction of the war on Iraq were symptomatic of a shift in global alliances. France has never been satisfied with playing a secondary role in world politics, and is willing to do just about anything to regain her past glory. Quite correctly, she sees the US as her main obstacle to achieving this goal, so her foreign policy is bent on weakening US influence while strengthening her own.
Until recently, france has taken a subtle approach, working behind the scenes at the UN and EU, working to lessen US influence in the former, while shifting the latter to oppose America not only economically, but politically as well. Now france is taking a more active role, wanting to be seen as the leader in the battle against the cowboy American imperialists.
In the future, look for france to move ever closer to anti-American powers, particularly in the Middle East. France already has close ties to syria, and we find out more every day how close she was to Saddam Hussein. Despite all the lefty claims that we armed Iraq, almost all of their most modern weaponry was either french or Russian.
That wasn't an accident.
France wants to dominate Europe at the very least, and the Western Hemisphere if possible, and she sees the Middle East as the means to achieve that dominance. Every move france has made makes sense in this light, from her covert support of Saddam Hussein, to her overt antagonism to the US, to her willingness to weaken NATO and the UN itself.
If you're looking for imperialists, check the french. It's in their blood.
Posted by Rich at April 21, 2003 12:34 PM | TrackBack