2003.03.14
2003.03.14
there are many things i do not understand about france. their love of bread and cheese, their women, their existentialism, their ability to sometimes make such phenomenal movies. these are all thing that, while i don’t understand them, i don’t mind not understanding because they are good things.
something else i don’t understand, though, is why they are so freaking stupid about iraq. it’s not like they didn’t support the previous resolutions in regards to iraq. the security council was unanimous. no abstentions, no conditional votes. unanimous. i understand that they think our government is being quite bellicose about this whole thing. i even agree.
however, as bush *finally* started pointing out, hussein has had over a decade to disarm. he has not disarmed. what do you do with someone who won’t obey? you punish them. if a guy at a bar starts a fight with you, then you chuck him out. if he keeps coming back, you call the cops. if after the cops come and don’t do anything because (in some twilight zone episode) they can’t figure out what to do with him i think it’s time to do something about this idiot yourself.
the united nations passed resolutions giving iraq time to disarm. it hasn’t. what is the united nations going to do now? the US is saying, “go in there and punish him.” france is saying, “give him more time. he’ll shape up. you’ll see.” sorry, i don’t buy that. if after 12 years i had an alcoholic friend who kept telling me he was going to stop drinking and he hadn’t, i don’t think i’d believe him.
so the question i have is, what does france have to gain from not punishing iraq? oil contracts. france and russia have both signed contracts to the tune of about 30 billion dollars which would go into effect once the united nations sanctions were lifted. they are signed with saddam hussein. 30 billion is no laughing matter and in most respects makes perfect sense as to why france (and russia) are openly opposing any military action that would depose hussein. see this UPI article for more information.
in addition, it is no secret that much of the world views the US in less than savory terms. by openly flaunting the US, france is gaining a leadership position in the anti-US camps. imagine how france would instantly gain friends in many islamic nations (except algeria i hope) and others countries around the world (north korea springs to mind).
as a joke, i think the french are also upset that fark keeps accusing them of surrendering every chance they get.
france is proving to me that the structure of the united nations is flawed. with any five countries with ultimate veto power, the united nations can never truly be united. they can’t even be the “majority nations” because 99% of the world can be for something and france, like a baby, can veto it. this criticism goes for the US ability to veto as well. it is conditional democracy, or tyrannical democracy, or some combination of words that is currently escaping me but which amounts to ineffective, decisively undemocratic, and ultimately doomed to failure. france is proving that the united nations is a failed forum. good job frenchie.
meanwhile, as the world apparently grinds to a halt over this iraq thing, north korea is arming and gearing up its insane notion of actually being important. ignoring its military it is one of the least significant nations on the planet offering no new culture, no new science or technology, and lots of poverty, disease, human rights violations, and general suffering. it would be great if france would pay more attention to them.
meanwhile, as the world apparently grinds to a halt over this iraq thing, aids is still spreading like wild fire through africa and the world in general. we can take pictures from space of vehicles moving around the arabian deserts, blow up buildings with guided bombs (and watch it from the camera attached to the bomb), and now they are making material that will make people practically invisible (the military applications are obvious) but still we can’t figure out how to eradicate aids. or cancer for that matter.
meanwhile, as the world apparently grinds to a halt over this iraq thing, china is going into space with the stated intent of building a space station, mining the moon and colonizing mars. hello, didn’t anyone get the memo? the future of mankind is space. nothing against the chinese, but i would personally rather see france controlling the future of humanity. i think we need to start working with the chinese so we both can get there at the same time. it’s certainly more interesting than a bloody hot country in the middle east with a lot of oil and a dictator in power.
meanwhile, as the world apparently grinds to a halt over this iraq thing, genuine terrorists are still at large. did anyone remember them? no? yes? and what about afghanistan? how are things there? better? worse?
the whole mess of the world right now pisses me off. it amazes me that these so called “leaders of men” act so childish. i wonder if i had a taste of power like these people if i would act the same. i should run for president and see. vote for doug, the no bullshit candidate.
PS: all the stuff about france applies to russia as well. just wanted to say that in case some russian thought it was funny my thoughts on france.
PPS: it will be interesting how things will evolve in the EU now that they are pretty well split over this iraq fiasco. maybe they, like the UN, will prove an ineffective institution.
Categorized: political thoughts
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