Submitted by paxgallodacica on July 11, 2005 - 12:30pm.
Hi, FrancaisFanatique (and all the other paricipants).
Well, that's quite sympathic to see that we, the French, do not only have oponents in this big country, which we are dreaming and are afraid of at the same time.
But, I think the simple truth in all these mediatic opositions, is that everyone is allways going the most suitable way for him.
Talleyrand, a french politician said more than two centuries ago : "Countries don't have friends, they only have interests".
Well this remains true even if the world has changed a lot since that time. In a way, we can be sure that US forces have fought in Iraq for American's interests -or at least for a few Americans' one-. France could not go the same way just as his army is allready split around the world (I can personnaly testify it) and engaged in a lot of theatres : in Afghanistan as it has been mentioned, but also still in former Yugoslavia, and in Western Africa. France has its own "Iraq" : Ivory Coast. It would be too costly and too risky for French government to have two major theatres on the same time. Moreover, the possible interests we have there are certainly too weak to aford us to go there and look for it.
Another factor we cannot forget is that there are millions of immigrants in France, most of them being Muslims. France just cannot have a anti-Arabic position. In this case, the Paris underground would experience sad London attacks every day. This would be inacceptable for any government.
To sumerize all these nebulous ideas I would just say that everyone follows his own way, depending on his situation.
Well, that's quite sympathic to see that we, the French, do not only have oponents in this big country, which we are dreaming and are afraid of at the same time.
But, I think the simple truth in all these mediatic opositions, is that everyone is allways going the most suitable way for him.
Talleyrand, a french politician said more than two centuries ago : "Countries don't have friends, they only have interests".
Well this remains true even if the world has changed a lot since that time. In a way, we can be sure that US forces have fought in Iraq for American's interests -or at least for a few Americans' one-.
France could not go the same way just as his army is allready split around the world (I can personnaly testify it) and engaged in a lot of theatres : in Afghanistan as it has been mentioned, but also still in former Yugoslavia, and in Western Africa. France has its own "Iraq" : Ivory Coast. It would be too costly and too risky for French government to have two major theatres on the same time. Moreover, the possible interests we have there are certainly too weak to aford us to go there and look for it.
Another factor we cannot forget is that there are millions of immigrants in France, most of them being Muslims. France just cannot have a anti-Arabic position. In this case, the Paris underground would experience sad London attacks every day. This would be inacceptable for any government.
To sumerize all these nebulous ideas I would just say that everyone follows his own way, depending on his situation.