e-Claire

Sitting on fences only gets ya a sore butt

and annoys the fence It cannot be said often enough -- the French are not only no longer our friends but their strategy places us, US, in danger.

Charles Krauthammer Why then is Chirac making things as difficult as he can for the U.S.? ...There is something far deeper going on here. Beyond the anti-Americanism is an attempt to court the Muslim and Arab world. For its own safety and strategic gain, France is seeking a "third way" between America and its enemies. Chirac's ultimate vision is a France that is mediator and bridge between America and Islam. During the cold war, Charles de Gaulle invented this idea of a third force, withdrawing France from the NATO military structure and courting Moscow as a counterweight to Washington. Chirac, declaring in Istanbul that "we are not servants" of America, has transposed this Gaullist policy to the struggle with radical Islam. [emph mine -C]

Fully 20% of France's population is Muslim [5 million] and rising. Muslims are projected to be in the majority within 25 years, and they are making demands on the government. Indeed, some believe France to be most likely to be the first Western nation to introduce sharia. But trying to have one's cake and eat it, too has historically been the very best way to get one's ass kicked from both sides. Besides, even the haute couture houses can't do much with a burka...

1. The French have been short sighted in this case. Any attempt to impose Islam on the country will be violent and meet with resistance from the natives, both french and europeans. I wonder who they will expect to rescue them from this folly? Yet another war for domination of the “world island”.

   Posted by  on  07/08/04  at  09:33 AM

2. You had me worried for a moment.  The population of France is about 59 million, so 5 million Muslims would be about 8 1/2 percent.

   Posted by Graham Lester  on  07/08/04  at  02:04 PM

3. You’re right, Graham.  It is about 8%.

   I took that 20% number from Thomas D. Segel’s article.  *That’ll* teach me to fact check . . .

   Thanks for the catch!

   Posted by Claire  on  07/08/04  at  02:26 PM

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