France: America's Adversary
If you listen to many of the modern-day historians or to the mainstream media about the relations between France and America much of the conversation starts with the premise that France is America’s oldest friend. Many people assume that the United States and France share a 200-year history of goodwill that began with French military assistance in the American Revolutionary War. However, Franco-American history is really more about hostility and opposition rather than friendship.
First, let's start with the myth that France was instrumental in helping America gain her independence. At the time of the Revolution, France and the American colonies were not friends. Many American colonists deeply resented the part France played in inciting Indian tribes to attack and plunder colonial settlements in the French and Indian wars in the 1760s. During the American Revolution France offered minimal help to the American revolutionaries and the help that did come was received only after America had achieved significant victories that would have been much easier with French assistance. The reason France even offered any help at all was to weaken the British Empire that they were constantly in conflict with at the time.
In fact, if you look deeply at the history of French-American relations one theme emerges consistently. France's national interest and well-being has been the overriding factor in every French foreign policy decision that relates to America. Friends help out others in need even if that help doesn't advance that particular country's interest. If France were America’s oldest ally it wouldn't have sought to split our nation in two during the Civil War by selling arms to both the North and the South, collaborated with Nazi Germany in World War II by setting up the Vichy regime, provided intellectual support for the Soviet Union during the Cold War, or quit NATO in the 1960s. French president Francois Mitterrand even went so far, in 1996, as to declare a "permanent war" with the U.S. to limit our influence in the world.
In addition, throughout the mid-20th century France was able to sell billions of dollars of arms to Iraq and gained billions more through oil contracts with Saddam Hussein. After studying the historical record in detail it becomes clear that French opposition to the Iraq war was to be expected, since it was in their national interest to do so. Not only did the French oppose the war in Iraq, they actively helped Saddam Hussein and his regime. France assisted Saddam Hussein in many ways, but the two most egregious violations by our supposed friend were helping officials of Saddam's regime acquire French passports for easy escape before coalition forces went into Iraq and actively selling French weaponry to Iraq during the run-up to the war. French government officials looked the other way when French companies negotiated illegal arms deals with Saddam. As a result Iraq was able to acquire sophisticated weaponry, including Mirage F-1 fighter jets (made by France's Dassault Aviation), Gazelle attack helicopters (made by France's Aerospatiale), and Roland-2 missiles that were all used against American and Coalition forces in the Iraq war. For instance, on April 8th, 2003 Maj. Jim Ewald's A-10 Thunderbolt fighter was downed over Baghdad by a French-made Roland missile. A week later an Army search team found a cache of 51 Roland missiles nearby that had been produced only months before. This article can give you a deeper analysis.
Three hundred years ago, France ruled a globe-spanning empire, but ever since it has been caught in a downward spiral towards irrelevance. At the same time, the French have watched the United States grow in power to become to superpower that we are today. Despite the fact that America has bailed France out of three world wars (if you count the Cold War, and I do), France has consistently opposed the United States' foreign policy initiatives. I've come to the conclusion that French anti-Americanism is ultimately based in French resentment of American power. France believes that it should be the superpower of the world, not the United States. Therefore, out of spite, jealousy and a bad case of wounded pride, France has worked against America at every opportunity even if America implements a foreign policy that expands freedom and democracy throughout the world. Simply put France has become very dangerous, not because it is an adversary of the United States, but because it is an adversary that pretends to be a friend.
Any comments or questions can be received at whyyouareaconservative@gmail.com
~ The Conservative Guy
First, let's start with the myth that France was instrumental in helping America gain her independence. At the time of the Revolution, France and the American colonies were not friends. Many American colonists deeply resented the part France played in inciting Indian tribes to attack and plunder colonial settlements in the French and Indian wars in the 1760s. During the American Revolution France offered minimal help to the American revolutionaries and the help that did come was received only after America had achieved significant victories that would have been much easier with French assistance. The reason France even offered any help at all was to weaken the British Empire that they were constantly in conflict with at the time.
In fact, if you look deeply at the history of French-American relations one theme emerges consistently. France's national interest and well-being has been the overriding factor in every French foreign policy decision that relates to America. Friends help out others in need even if that help doesn't advance that particular country's interest. If France were America’s oldest ally it wouldn't have sought to split our nation in two during the Civil War by selling arms to both the North and the South, collaborated with Nazi Germany in World War II by setting up the Vichy regime, provided intellectual support for the Soviet Union during the Cold War, or quit NATO in the 1960s. French president Francois Mitterrand even went so far, in 1996, as to declare a "permanent war" with the U.S. to limit our influence in the world.
In addition, throughout the mid-20th century France was able to sell billions of dollars of arms to Iraq and gained billions more through oil contracts with Saddam Hussein. After studying the historical record in detail it becomes clear that French opposition to the Iraq war was to be expected, since it was in their national interest to do so. Not only did the French oppose the war in Iraq, they actively helped Saddam Hussein and his regime. France assisted Saddam Hussein in many ways, but the two most egregious violations by our supposed friend were helping officials of Saddam's regime acquire French passports for easy escape before coalition forces went into Iraq and actively selling French weaponry to Iraq during the run-up to the war. French government officials looked the other way when French companies negotiated illegal arms deals with Saddam. As a result Iraq was able to acquire sophisticated weaponry, including Mirage F-1 fighter jets (made by France's Dassault Aviation), Gazelle attack helicopters (made by France's Aerospatiale), and Roland-2 missiles that were all used against American and Coalition forces in the Iraq war. For instance, on April 8th, 2003 Maj. Jim Ewald's A-10 Thunderbolt fighter was downed over Baghdad by a French-made Roland missile. A week later an Army search team found a cache of 51 Roland missiles nearby that had been produced only months before. This article can give you a deeper analysis.
Three hundred years ago, France ruled a globe-spanning empire, but ever since it has been caught in a downward spiral towards irrelevance. At the same time, the French have watched the United States grow in power to become to superpower that we are today. Despite the fact that America has bailed France out of three world wars (if you count the Cold War, and I do), France has consistently opposed the United States' foreign policy initiatives. I've come to the conclusion that French anti-Americanism is ultimately based in French resentment of American power. France believes that it should be the superpower of the world, not the United States. Therefore, out of spite, jealousy and a bad case of wounded pride, France has worked against America at every opportunity even if America implements a foreign policy that expands freedom and democracy throughout the world. Simply put France has become very dangerous, not because it is an adversary of the United States, but because it is an adversary that pretends to be a friend.
Any comments or questions can be received at whyyouareaconservative@gmail.com
~ The Conservative Guy
posted by The Conservative Guy at
10:51 PM
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