It is tempting to point at the French with scorn and derision over their present unfortunate....ah....um.....circumstances.
There may even be those who would take satisfaction in seeing the entire country go up in flames ("It'll serve them right!").
I don't agree.
It is in the best interests of the United States and the entire Free World for France to resolve the current unrest both quickly and decisively.
The Chirac government will surely collapse under the burden of the riots just as Charles de Gaulle's final government eventually fell (in 1969) under the burden of the student riots in Paris the previous year. Under normal conditions this would give the French a way to calmly choose a new direction for the future. Under the present conditions, however, it will not be easy for the French to choose either wisely or with a clear sense of what they would like a new government to do.
An uncertain and unstable France will only encourage those who may already be exploiting these riots for their own, global purposes.
Riots akin to those in France have already broken out in Denmark. It is not too difficult to imagine similar outbreaks in the Netherlands, Belgium, German, Scandinavia (particularly Sweden) and the United Kingdom.
Such rioting will keep the vast network of European security agencies (including police, military and intelligence) busy for a long, long time.
This distraction will provide a wonderful cover for global terrorism as it seeks opportunities to strike their own brand of destruction and death in the region.
The destabalization of Europe will mean that, once again, it will be up to the United States to bear the burden of the international war on terrorism alone.
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Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - RJ
This insanity going on in the suburbs of Paris is shocking. I thought they would have it under control in a few days. Instead, we are now into Day 11 of this nonsense.
The French truly have no balls, to let this shit keep going on like it has.
Now, it wouldn't surprise me a bit if it continues for the rest of November...
2 - MCH
"The French truly have no balls..."
- Bobby (RJ) Elliott
"I support the war in Iraq, but will not even try to enlist, because I have asthma and am near-sighted."
- Bobby (RJ) Elliott
3 - RogerMDillon
"Instead, we are now into Day 11 of this nonsense."
Look at the insanity in Iraq. Do you think our military has no balls?
4 - Matthew T. Sussman
They supported us when we were flooded, we ought to support them when they're burned down by hooligans.
Fire and water.
Good call.
5 - Matthew T. Sussman
Since two people in a row mentioned it, may I ask what Iraq has to do with this? Did I miss something?
6 - Morgan David
Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, France, it all adds up to the same conclusion. Radical islam is out of the control and the western nations need to shut it down by any means necessary. Moderate Muslims aren't going to do jack about it, so it's up to the rest of us.
The Second Crusades are upon us. Are you ready to fight, people?
7 - Morgan David
America is loaded with silly fools. One only needs to read the content list for this website and you'll instantly recognize why the United States of America is ripe to become the next France. Americans have by and large side stepped the advances of its nation's immigrant subculure that refuses to assimilate. Many would rather play pseudo-scholar and spend hours composing love letters to their own shitty pop culture and post it on the internet.
Europe will no longer be a western nation in fifty years. The United States may slide into third world shithole status in about the same time.
The blame for that falls primarily on those who think cultural pluralism, overtolerance, and appeasement make good immigration policy.
This struggle between "rich and poor" is a myth created by idiot college professors who've read too much Howard Zinn and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.
8 - Morgan David
here
Four Christian schoolgirls were kidnapped by Muslim radicals in Indonesia. Three were beheaded.
We're supposed to be tolerant and understanding of a culture that sits on its hands and does nothing to police its own?
When the last time you've heard of any Muslims mounting a counterjihad?
Zero.
This is why the west must take control of its own destiny and say fuck-all to diplomacy.
Kill or be killed.
9 - Dave Nalle
I'm all for helping France, but how CAN we help them? They're not going to want us to send in troops, money isn't really the issue, and if they want to deport these folks they have their own boats to do it with. I guess we could make room for them at GITMO, but that wouldn't be a big hit in some quarters.
Dave
10 - RogerMDillon
"Did I miss something?"
-Quite possibly, but the two aren't related.
In his use of the word "Iraq," MCH was pointing out, once again, that RJ has no balls.
If being unable to stop people from insanity and violence means they have "no balls", I wondered who else RJ would apply that label. That's why I asked about Iraq since we can't stop the mindless unrest there? I could have asked if the Russians have no balls because of what the Chechnians do? Or if the Israelis have no balls because of what they have put up with since the Bible? Would the Indians be labelled the same because of their dealings with Kashmir and Assam? What about the African countries dealing with bloody, genocidal civil wars? Are they all ball-less?
11 - Matthew T. Sussman
Morgan, I'm sorry that you think our expression of interests in music, TV, sports and the arts is the sign of our nation's demise.
12 - Morgan David
Please do not feel you must feel sorry on my account. On the contrary, the sorrow should be directed toward yourself.
It's not simply the very act of "expressing" that's an issue with me. It's the subject topics chosen by the bloggers that render much of the expression as puerile and a veritable waste of bandwidth.
13 - Ruvy in Jérusalem
I find the comments on this thread from the Bird of Paradise about la France a bit amusing. On his other thread on this topic "Is Paris Burning?" I noted that the question at hand was when the Gaulois in France would decide to write finis to this chapter in their histoire. I see that at least one fellow at this thread has called for a crusade. From the looks of things, he is not French.
Crusades are for killing Jews and Christians who look like the infidel - and for being defeated by that infidel. At least that is what happened the last several times. Do you guys think you can get it right this time after you sew crosses on your cloaks and ride out to battle? From what I see of the latest "crusaders" these days, they are making the same mistakes the other crusaders made several centuries ago. At least they are not on OUR soil this time - at least not yet. They are in Mesopotamia pretending they are spreading democracy. One must be grateful for small favors.
Viewing it all from my little precarious roost in Armon haNetziv, I would strongly recommend that you Americans NOT contemplate sending soldiers to aid the French in their little problem. Let them figure out that they have to use their own soldiers, something they have refused to do hitherto.
From what little I know of the French, they will try to buy peace from the Arabs rioting in their streets. Their "émirs" will be given an autonomy of sorts, informal control of the no-go zones where Arabs can muster strength. And for a time, the French authorities will think they have succeeded. But something will happen to blow up the agreement, whatever it is, and the riots will return.
At that point, some Gaulois will unfurl the tricouleur de la République and you can recoil in horreurre as Moslems are butchered in the streets of la France. Or you can sit back, eat a croissant and sip contently from a latté.
If you are like me, you will be worried that French Jews have enough brains to get their butts out of France and come home. Also you will be concerned that when Arab riots spread here, the government will have the cojones to send in the IDF and tell them to open fire and keep firing until the streets are silent.
If I sound a bit cold-blooded, I'm sorry. This come-uppance is long overdue.
14 - DrPat
Translation: "wanking in the closet." (It's the subject topics chosen by the bloggers that render much of the expression as puerile and a veritable waste of bandwidth.)
By this reasoning, the Titanic should have been in no trouble, because the visible part of the 'berg would be all that existed. To think that the off-duty choice of discussion-topics (even by such a "superior cabal" as this) says anything about the capability and drive of the US - or of France, for that matter - is absurd.
15 - Dave Nalle
France toujours, France quand meme!
Dave
16 - Nicolas
The riots have nothing to do with religion but with poverty. Full stop !
17 - tommyd
Muslims must be expelled from Europe. Period. France will begin this process and others will follow. America would do well to learn the lessons of Europe, since our unassimilated immigrants will surely flex their muscles sooner or later.
However, I support the rights of self determination of the Arabs and Muslims in their own nations. This means that countries like the United States should not interfere with their cultures nor should we bomb the living daylights out of them. It's the Arab's land, not the West. And vice versa.
Vive la France! D'abord la France pour les francais! A bas les bougnoles! Degagez tous!
18 - Nicolas
Bloody Jean Marie le Pen is here ! Have you brought your swastika with you ??
19 - Ruvy in Jérusalem
Nicolas, you are dead wrong. Nekudá (full stop).
These riots are based on poverty AND crime, AND a refusal to assimilate into French culture. They are also based on a deep belief in Islam and the determination to avenge centuries of humiliation by uncircumcised infidels (Christians - we Jews are circumcised).
There is a powerful feeling on the part of these Moslems that European culture is wrong, sinful and that European women act and dress like prostitutes (thus if they are raped, they deserve it). The Arabs and other Moslems living in France and elsewhere in Europe are fully aware that the Europeans view them as cheap labor, wogs to do the scut work.
They are also fully aware, and their imams make them aware, that they can bring honor to themselves through jihad and bringing more of the world into the "Dar al Islam" - the region of submission. You are seeing a nasty combination of enough people on one side and lack of will on the other.
You can put the "good Christian" charitable attitudes away for another time, forget the social justice garbage - this is about vengeance and honor.
20 - Nicolas
well for now what I see as garbage is precisely what you have just written. Those kids deamnd social justice. They don't give a s*** about the rest. They want to go on holidays in St Tropez and buy Peugeot 306 to go down the fancy club down the road. Your mistake is to believe that they are not intergrated because they bloody are. They are as frustrated with the promises of capitalism as you and me are. THe biggest problem being that i ahve been "fortunate" enough to be born white-european and not to have the door slammed at my face when i go for job interviews.
if you were living in France you would know what I am speaking about. So stop your religious bullshit and look at the reality.
21 - Morgan David
I see that at least one fellow at this thread has called for a crusade.
The west did not call for the crusade. The fundamentalist Muslims already took care of that back in the 1970s and have been marching ahead since then. The west has responded as anyone would in the face of a grave threat.
I do not recognize the claims of the islamic fundamentalists that the culture of the west is morally corrupt and requires their version of salvation.
If this issue in France is about vengeance and honor, then I say retaliate with all due force and issue the message that the west will not accept their terms.
However, based on what France has done since WW2, they deserve to have their non-confrontational and excessively tolerant cultural policies shattered. This is a wake-up call to the rest of Europe, rapidly becoming a thirld world continent.
To the writer that suggests that if the west stays out of the middle east, everything will be hunky dory, I say the middle east is far too important to the whole world and for freedom and liberty to let it be ruled by a fanatical medieval culture.
The muslim culture IS inferior to judeo-christian culture and I am not afraid to say so.
22 - Nicolas
Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit Bullshit
Fascism is all I see here !
23 - Morgan David
ISLAMO-fascism and its neo-Crusade has been with us for thirty years.
24 - Nicolas
And the theft from Israel of the west bank and the gaza strip funnily coincides with that time frame.
I am not one to believe in coincidences though !
25 - Nicolas
Look the point here is what has created those riots in France. And the only answer is : Racism and social exclusion. You should not try to use the fact that those guys may be muslim to push on your own agenda.
France is a country that loves revolutions. This one is not the first and will not be the last. Religion was not the cause of previous revolutions and is not the cause for this one either. Social exclusion is.