Adieu, pacifisme francaise?

With the possible terrorist attack on the french ship in the middle east, I wonder if the french are asking themselves all those questions that they urged Amercans to ask themselves in the wake of September 11th? Why are we hated? Why are we to be singled out? What crimes against humanity have we committed lately?

Here are some possible answers. Maybe because of your long history of arming whatever venal despot has the money, the moral underpinnings of your foreign policy have essentially collapsed. Maybe because the rise of anti-semitism in France has gone unchecked and completely disregarded by your leaders you sent the message that you were a supine target. (After all, if french civilians can be beaten and killed and french synagogues can be bombed on french soil, why should it concern the french if military personnel are killed?) Maybe because if you're applauding the work of Palestinian suicide bombers and calling them freedom fighters, then it must mean that you accept the murder of innocent civilians to be business as usual. Maybe your smug attitude that 'a tsing like zee onze septembre wooed neverre 'appen to us' caused french military intelligence to relax their guard.

Peut etre.

Posted by Drew Kramer, 10/7/2002 at 11:58 am