August 19, 2006
ASK THE TAXI DRIVERS TO VOLUNTEER:
French kiss-off (Chicago Tribune, August 19, 2006)
Farce is a French word, right? Well, it's the mot juste for what happened Thursday as the United Nations scrambled to assemble a robust force to keep the peace in Lebanon.France led the diplomatic charge for the truce in Lebanon, calling for a cease-fire almost immediately. It played a central role in crafting the resolution that would send a UN force of about 15,000 to help the weak Lebanese army control the south and stop arms shipments to Hezbollah.
France, one UN official said, was supposed to be the backbone of the force, leading it and contributing significant numbers of troops.
But then came a splash of cold reality, a bracing reminder about why the words "France" and "backbone" rarely appear in the same sentence.
What about: if you turn your back on a Frenchman.... Posted by Orrin Judd at August 19, 2006 11:20 AM
. . . you'll get screwed each time.
Posted by: obc at August 19, 2006 11:42 AMNo they will turn first
Posted by: h-man at August 19, 2006 2:48 PM
All the more reason to yank their commanding status. One, they don't deserve it and, two, they'll screw ya just the same in the field.
And while we're at it, we ought to make sure anything more coming from the UN not be written in French either.
Posted by: Dusty at August 19, 2006 7:01 PMThe reason for this is simple: the French can't pledge what they don't have.
Most of the military force they have isn't suitable for deployment outside France proper. Much of what is suitable has been committed to the former French colonies in Africa or to Afghanistan.
You'd think the French leadership would recognize this before, not after, leading everyone to think that they'd lead the new, improved (har) UNIFIL. But the pantry is empty.
Posted by: Steve White at August 20, 2006 12:27 AM