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Originally posted by BkueKanoodle: Umm France saved our Ass's in the Revolution because they wanted to take away from the glory of the british empire, their biggest "enemy" at the time. Wait a second, that kind of sounds like what they were complaining about the US doing in the Middle east, or even worse, working for, "regime change"  The US on the other hand saved their ass's during WWII to save them from the brutal occupation by an invading country that was recognized by most the world as evil, and was intent on exterminaiting the jewish race and ruling all of europe. And yes I thank the french for heliping us during the revolution 200 years, ago, but WWII is still fresh enough in the sands of American and French history, that it takes on more relevance to our current diplomatic situation then events 2 centuries ago. |
I posted this in another thread. I'll post it agains so our friend who likes calling people a**holes:
What makes me wonder is that America media (and a fair amount of you here as well, it seems) forget so quickly, and above all so selctively. No one here seems to remember the response NATO made to the attacks on 9/11. They invoked the article on an attack on a member country for the first time. Hosts of nations supported the American "war on terror". America's favourite whipping boy, France, sent an Aircraft carrier to take part in attacks on Afghanistan, French planes are based in Kyrgyzstan to this day that participated in that conflict. There are units French soldiers that do duty in the international force north of Kabul. French soldiers and their Airforce were in every conflict from the first Gulf War to Bosnia and Kosovo. Obviously, they regarded those conflicts as justified. French UN peacekeeping units in Bosnia were the only ones to actually do their duty and defend the areas assigned to them from Bosnian Serbs. 78 French soldiers lost their lives there. The Dutch, in Srebrenica didn't even try to prevent the massacre there, yet no one makes jokes about Dutch soldiers surrendering quicker than you can say, "Hands up".
Every one here gets on their high horse about how ungrateful France is for the US/UK liberating it from the Germans 59 years ago. Isn't it amazing how conveniently an entire country with such an enlightened media and population, such as yours, remember those facts from all that way back, yet nothing since? Isn't it amazing how one can attribute other nations getting in the way of "American sovereignty" and "American self defense", when a really large number of people and nations simply have seen no proof of the threat to the USA from Iraq apart from some American politicians saying so?
If your country decided that no one has the right to privacy any more, or for a more realistic exmaple, if your government decided to ban private posession of firearms, because the politicians in Washington say it is a "threat to our nation", what would the resulting protests look like? Would everyone suddenly believe what the government is saying or would there be large protests?
Other nations and medias (not only European, take a look at the Time of India) do not see the war in Iraq as being anywhere close to American self defense. This war affects everyone here and across the globe. It is messing badly with our economies and many people are worried about the future, because they see Islamic terrorism being on the rise, and unrest in our large Muslim minorities, which are a part of our populations. They are highly sceptical of what this war will achive in the long run. It is their right, as, believe it or not, they also have and know the concept of sovereignty.
I'm not pro Chirac as I think he's an egoistic bastard who's in it for the money and prestige, but neither would I trust many other politicians who are so keen on wasting blue eyed boys and girls lives in a conflict of dubious purpose.