Is Chirac Trying to Live Down to the Stereotype

My friend's favorite joke, and this was pre-9/11, was "Want to buy a French rifle? Never fied only dropped once?" Perhaps you might have tried to google French military victories. Or perhaps heard the phrase "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" when referring to France and its foreign policy.

According to the news today, instead of trying to enforce the deadline which the U.N. gave Iran, France has decided to intervene. Chirac is proposing that instead of enforcing the deadline, the rest of the world should agree to refrain from sanctioning Iran and Iran will promise not to refine anymore nuclear material.

Like they did when they signed on to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Pact.

Chirac seems to think that as long as people are talking, then peace will inevitably occur. I believe the head of that school of thought used to be Neville Chamberlain. Of course, Chirac has the luxury of allowing Iran to say one thing while it does another.

Its not as though his home territory. Its always much more convenient when the people who could suffer as a result of appeasement policy, and the resulting ballistic missiles capabable of carrying a nuclear warhead, are Israelis and American. No doubt, the French companies doing business in Iran appreciate the support the Chirac government is giving them. Perhaps their forecasts already include a head tax.

This is not to say that negotiations should not be tried. But to expect one side to adhere to rules which they have clearly shown a disdain for, and have actively worked to violate, shows a lack of understanding of reality. In the past, the West has repeatedly asked Iran to please stop refining nuclear material. Each time Iran has eithe refused or claimed that they are not doing anything of the sort. The definition of insanity, as my mother would tell me, is to do the same thing over and over expecting a different result.

Mr. Chirac, your proposal is not only worthy of the stereo-type of the cheese eating surrender monkey, but insane to boot.