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France in Iraq |
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French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner arrived in Iraq on Sunday for a three day visit that includes talks with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nouri Maliki. The trip is, a French official told Time, “of symbolic significance.” The French aren’t fundamentally changing their stance on Iraq; rather, they are opening the door to dialogue with Iraq, the UN, and the US.
Many, indeed, see the trip’s main purpose as being a way for Sarkozy’s administration to reach out to the Bush administration, an effort that began earlier this summer when Sarkozy met Bush for a private lunch. However, a strong feeling that the US made a serious mistake in entering Iraq still exists among the French population and within the French government. Interestingly, the BBC account of Kouchner’s visit to Iraq says that France is ready to work with the UN - and doesn’t mention the possibility of a direct French-American partnership.
At a joint press conference with Mr Talabani, Mr Kouchner said France was “ready to play a role in the fight against the violence” and would help the UN work to restore democracy in Iraq.
People on both sides of the Atlantic will bemoan this change of approach on the part of Sarkozy. Sarkozy’s critics are numerous and fierce, and he often provides them with a lot of material to work with: the man is no hero. But he remains a three-dimensional politician, one whose actions are, even when one doesn’t agree with them, thoughtful.
I see no harm, personally, in Kouchner’s visit to Iraq, even if it is largely symbolic. For one thing, I believe that the United States and France can have productive diplomatic relations even when our leaders disagree bitterly over foreign policy. The cheap anti-French sentiment that often rears its ugly head in the US is truly disappointing to me - France is in certain ways our oldest ally, and like it or not there are deep cultural affinities between our nations. We can cooperate effectively. Secondly, French political involvement in Iraq could be a good thing: it could provide another source of funds for reconstruction, another voice in the peace process, and another set of ideas about how to end this mess. France has unique relationships with the Arab powers that we do not, and any solution in Iraq will likely involve major participation on the part of the EU. My opinion remains that the solution to the problems in Iraq must be an international one. I may not like everything about Sarkozy, or France, but at this point I’ll support almost any step that leads toward greater diplomacy and international exchange regarding the war.
