How Sad Is It When The French Are Dissing The U.S.A.?
Posted on October 23, 2009
The Bush administration has done so much damage to American foreign relations that the president take a more active role in diplomacy than might have been true 20 or 30 years ago. If we think that meeting with the president is a privilege that has to be earned, that reinforces the sense that we stand above the rest of the world at this point in time. It’s important for us in undoing the damage that has been done over the last seven years, for the president to be willing to take that extra step. (Source: 2008 Democratic debate at University of Texas in Austin Feb 21, 2008)
Yeah, about that rebuilding of alliances
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, initially dubbed Sarko the American for his pro-U.S. stance, is finding it much tougher to deal with Washington than he had anticipated and is recalibrating his policies accordingly.
Stung by perceived snubs from U.S. President Barack Obama and encouraged by the growing importance of the G20, Sarkozy is increasingly reaching out to non-aligned states in an effort to extend France’s international influence.
He has forged especially close ties with Brazil, is seeking alliances in central Asia and is intensifying his activities in the Middle East, using multi-billion dollar military and civilian nuclear trade deals as his calling card.
These initiatives are being played out against a discordant tone in Franco-American relations. This lack of harmony does not constitute a crisis, but is nonetheless raising eyebrows.
Sarkozy is making friends and alliances all over the world. Too bad none of them are with America anymore. I mean, seriously, when you’ve lost France, you’ve truly lost your strength. I wonder if we can buy some of France’s old speed bumps from their border with Germany?
» Filed Under Barack Obama, Europe, Foreign Policy, France, Government malfeasance/misfeasance, News
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2 Responses to “How Sad Is It When The French Are Dissing The U.S.A.?”
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Comment deleted. Vulgarity and nasty.
I think there’s an even deeper more disturbing level to all of this involving France and the EU.
Many in the EU have longed to be a “counter weight ” to the US. The object is to become real players in the world again. Since the 90’s they have sought to rebuild their military and intel by building duplicate-to NATO services with their combined military regime.(Something they were still defending last month)
Sarkozy was part of developing this new EU Machine was he not?
The French arrogance over their investment in infrastructure and culture has always come at a cost of military might. Their haughty culture, is only surpassed by, their haughty belief in the appearance of peace. Somehow this appearance will translate into actual peace. This Peace at all costs mindset has gotten them in trouble in the past and still they have not learned.
Consider past relations between our two countries. We did not receive the help from France when it came to sanctions on Iraq. France was happy to hide Saddam’s money, and the books proving sanction violations.
During the Clinton Administration, toward the end of sanctions, France was flying in representatives to spite the US. They didn’t respect US interests or even the possible future threat to their own people. France was still looking to its Government and filling the coffers. The possibility of receiving contracts from their Telco inside of Iraq was all too enticing. How else could they continue to pay for their welfare state?
It is possible France despised Bush most for not allowing the sanctions to just simply fall off. This would allow them to begin appeasing Iraq for profit. Saddam owed them for every penny he had socked away for rebuilding. Never-mind Saddam would be free once again to build his military machine and threaten his neighbors. France is arrogant enough to believe they can talk their way out of threats later.
Jump now to present day relations. Obama is weak. They know this. It’s a great time to move France and the EU forward. The more power France has, the more power they can abuse in the EU. Remember Chirac told EU countries they missed an opportunity to shut up,( and obey the commands of France ).
What Sarkozy sees now is an opportunity for France to take it’s rightful place once again on the world stage. To be a world player once again. With a weak US President and a weak US dollar they are going to seize every opportunity they can to undermine US interests and promote their own. It really helps Sakozy’s cause to blame this on the US and it’s still failed relations with France. Obama snubbed him. Therefore Sarkozy is within his right to snub the US and continue breaking down what they consider US hegemony in the world.
I know it’s tempting, and even partially correct to say, Obama is even too weak for France. But I can’t confuse that with the undercurrent that his weakness, can now be a seized opportunity of the EU.
Obama has given them the very opportunity they have been waiting for. A weak US and dollar. The EU can promote itself and the Euro and seize more power. It’s always moving the ball forward.
The more France promotes and presses the EU, The more France thinks is owed. After all they wouldn’t be where they are without French forcefulness.
The object has always been to move out from under the US. To move into a position where all future US Presidents have to deal with the EU as counter measure to every action we might wish to take. Actions not only to protect ourselves but the EU countries individually. EU politicians are well versed in using minority positions obstructively to gain the power, voice, presence and to reach their objectives. France is chief among criminals when it comes to being obstructionists in order to achieve the goal of power. O’Chirac reactor anyone?
Meanwhile back on the home-front many of our own citizens have bought into the European multicultural “peace at all costs” mindset. The left is gleeful that they have a President that the rest of the world no longer finds us threatening. The other side of that coin is they also find no need to cooperate because a puffed up politician doesn’t garner anyone’s respect on the world stage.
So yes Obama does make us look weaker than the French. It’s going to cost everyone in the future. Only the future will show us how great that cost will be to the western world as a whole.
I know the giddy dems won’t remember any of this in the future. They will still be wearing rose-colored O-Glasses thinking Obama was great and it was all the fault of Republicans. They don’t see the whole picture or the darker sides of the foreign relation policies they are promoting.