Reflecting: On the Eve of July 4th

“Why do you Americans hate us?” “Why do the French hate Americans?” In the past few years, I have heard both of these feelings expressed. Clearly, there has been plenty of misunderstanding over the years - which only spending time together can remedy.

I came across a speech given by the French Ambassador to the US, Jean-David Levitte, in February of 2003, on the brink of the Iraq war. It might surprise you to read what he had to say - and how it looks in retrospect: Here was one quote with which I’m sure many people might agree:

“Now, on the Iraqi people, we all know how brilliant a civilization Iraq has been for more than 5,000 or 6,000 years, and we admire and respect the Iraqi people and civilization. But our assessment is that after so many years of dictatorship democracy will be — maybe — maybe I’m wrong — could be, I would say, difficult to put in place in a few days or a few weeks. Maybe I am wrong. Maybe you are right.”

Here’s a second quote that may surprise you:

“And you remember that — or you don’t, maybe I should be more explicit about that — when there was 9/11 the tragedies France was chairing the Security Council. I was the president of the Security Council. And when the doors of the U.N. building were reopened on the 12th of September, I proposed to my colleagues in the Security Council a resolution deciding that this international terrorist act was equivalent to an act of war, first. And it was in legal terms a breakthrough. It was the first time an act of terrorism was equivalent or — that we decided that it was equivalent to an act of war. And second, because of Article 51, we decided that it was legitimate for the country under attack to respond with full force of army, not only against those who committed these acts but also against all states which equipped, trained, offered hospitality and financed the terrorist networks. And that was a second breakthrough. And on that basis we’ve established the Counterterrorism Committee and so on and so forth. So you see Article 51, even in the new circumstances of the al Qaeda network, is a possibility.”