France and the War on Terror

[nini2287]

In response to this Rasmussen poll:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=38033.0

I'd say option 3, but closer to option 1 if only the first 2 were choices.

[Gabu]

I wouldn't exactly say they're an ally of the United States, because they aren't really doing a whole lot to help the Americans' efforts, but I can't see how you could call them an "enemy", given that that would imply that they're a potential target in the War on Terror.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Anyone who says they are not an ally is making the idiotic mistake of only looking at this through the prism of Iraq. That is like saying that no country can be an ally unless they also supported invading Iraq.

Besides that, both France and Germany actually did assist the US on the eve of the Iraq invasion, sharing intelligence with the US. It's not as if they wanted the US to lose, which some right wingers have idiotically claimed.

Oh yeah, have you all forgotten what NATO is? And why else would France have troops in Afghanistan?

[opebo]

What a ridiculous question.  The 'war' is fake.

[Gabu]

Anyone who says they are not an ally is making the idiotic mistake of only looking at this through the prism of Iraq. That is like saying that no country can be an ally unless they also supported invading Iraq.

The status of alliances often fluctuate, as they do in this situation, on a case-by-case basis.  Iraq is by far, for better or for worse, the largest focus of the United States at the present time in the War on Terror.  France is not likely to do a whole lot to help the United States in their current endevour, so I would hesitate to call them an "ally" in the War on Terror right now, as that would imply that they would be willing to help the United States if asked.

If the United States shifted their focus to something else that the French approved of to a greater enough extent that the French government chose to assist the United States, then they would be more of an ally of the United States at that future time.

Of course, if pressed between only "ally" and "enemy", I obviously would go with "ally", because they... well, aren't an enemy.

What a ridiculous question.  The 'war' is fake.

The United States is still doing something with their military, regardless of whether you consider it legitimate or not, so the notion of "allies" and "enemies" still applies.

[opebo]

What a ridiculous question.  The 'war' is fake.

The United States is still doing something with their military, regardless of whether you consider it legitimate or not, so the notion of "allies" and "enemies" still applies.

Yes, it is doing is what it has always done, and it has nothing to do with 'fighting terror'.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

IIRC France had a crackdown right after the London bombings arresting several radical Muslim clerics they claimed were terrorist supporters. That's certainly helping fight terrorism much more than what the US is doing in Iraq.

[Cubby]

They are an ally. All of Europe's governments oppose terrorism. People who say they are an enemy (like the 16% crazies in the Rasmussen Poll) are confusing "War on Terror" with "War in Iraq". There are so many wars under Bush to keep track of.

[ian]

I saw that poll the other day.  It's such a shame that such a large percentage of Americans think that France, an allied nation, supports Terrorists against us.  That's ludacris.  This is clearly an example of media brainwashing.

[MODU]

I saw that poll the other day.  It's such a shame that such a large percentage of Americans think that France, an allied nation, supports Terrorists against us.  That's ludacris.  This is clearly an example of media brainwashing.

I don't think it's brainwashing as much as disappointment.  They were a roadblock in 1990/1991 just as they were in 2003, for example.

[Frodo]

As far as I am concerned, an ally -even if they can be a pain in the ass, sometimes. 

[DanielX]

It really depends on what 'front' you're talking about. During World War II,  Soviet Russia was an ally on the Western Front, and a friendly neutral during most of the war in the Pacific. The War on Terror has many fronts across the world, France is an ally in some but not in others.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I saw that poll the other day.  It's such a shame that such a large percentage of Americans think that France, an allied nation, supports Terrorists against us.  That's ludacris.  This is clearly an example of media brainwashing.

I don't think it's brainwashing as much as disappointment.  They were a roadblock in 1990/1991 just as they were in 2003, for example.

Um, the coalition in the first Gulf War:

Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Honduras, Italy, Kuwait, Morocco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Korea, Spain, Syria, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States

Not that war had anything to do with terrorism, as didn't the 2003 one either.

[MODU]

Never said it had anything to do with terrorism.  My point is on disappointment.  In the lead-up to the Gulf War, US planes were diverted around France since they did not want our planes flying over their nation.  That cost time and money.

[Alcon]

You are either with us or you are against us.

Why?

[Alcon]

You are either with us or you are against us.

Why?

Can we have enemies and pansies on our side? The terrorists hope so.

Wait, you're not on our side, then?

[MODU]

I thought he got booted.