Stalemate in Lybia

By Peter Beaumont and Chris McGreal, The Guardian.

It is not the first time western powers are willingly conned into going to war. Remember Curveball? This time, it is the entire revolutionary council of the Lybian revolution + Sarkozy and his consiglieri pseudo philosopher BHL + a would be Thatcherite hoping an impact of the Lybian intervention on his political career similar to what the Falkland war did to Thatcher's, who are dragging us into a dirty war between a dictator and his exes.

''Duty to protect'' civilians... sorted by oil field.

Sarkozy: A Banana Republic Dictator?

At least this is what many are starting to say including Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes.

Because I love France, I must post sometimes on this country's continual demise under the rule of Sarkozy 1er.

Lately, Sarko, as he is known in France, has espoused vigorously and bullishly the case of a French woman imprisoned in Mexico for her contribution to the Mexico based kidnapping business of her boyfriend Israel Vallarta. Nobody knows why.

I say, French must go to the streets demanding the immediate resignation of Sarkozy.

Lately, the republic of Liberté, Égalité, Justice, has appeared also a little more Banana Republic then usual with its foreign minister spending her Christmas holidays in Tunisia, dlying the Ben Ali clan private jets and suggesting at the French assembly that France can send its savoir-faire to help Ben Ali against the uprising. And it was also revealed by the French press that this minister parents had business dealings with corrupted Tunisian businessmen close to ben Ali.

Lately also, it was discovered that French prime minister spent his Christmas holidays with his family in Egypt as guests of the Mubaraks, few weeks before the uprising that sweet the corrupt Egyptian dictator!

I say there is enough reasons here for the french to descend the streets and ask for her resignation of these Banana politicians...

The Taliban would applaud

At Sarkozy's and France's decision to ban muslim women from wearing Niqab and Burqa in public places in France.

Sarkozy the anglophile

When I was a child in Lebanon I was told many funny stories having a central character Jeha. These stories are part of the folkore tradition but they are in fact universal. Jeha is simple minded, dumb, pathetic, and funny. One of these stories goes like this: Jeha broke the main water pipe connecting the village to the source and when asked why he answered: 'I did this to get people to talk about me'.

Sarkozy's politics, domestic and foreign, has been all about that. Even his marriage. The tension between France and Germany has been building since Sarko was elected. One has to browse one of the main German newspapers to realise that Germany doesn't like Sarkozy. This is a clear departure from France's traditional European alliances. Sarkozy doesn't like to be challenged and he wasn't going to be in good terms with Merkel, a woman, a daughter of a pastor and a former physics professor and researcher. Merkel is all subtelty, protestant rigorism, and old fashioned European rationalism. Sarko is emotional, not subtle and the contrary of a morally rigorous person. Sarkozy found his political model in Tony Blair and the British new labour. The man works by personal affinities away from rational judgement. And, like Jeha, Sarkozy is breaking the water pipe between Germany and France and trying to build another one with the UK. Will he succeed ? I doubt...But he will be surely talked about.
Sarkozy the anglophile. Is it genetic ?

Nicolas Sarkozy has kicked off his eagerly-anticipated visit to the UK by urging both counties to "move from being cordial to being friendly" as many of the British papers print naked pictures (nsfw) of his wife.

Related: Sarkozy strains French-German relations.

A show of love for Israel

Diplomacy: Peres will discuss strengthening the coalition against Iran, and will also bring up the backing Tehran has given to Hamas and Hezbollah. He will try to persuade France to change its policy to support the inclusion of Hezbollah in the European list of terror organizations.

Peres will also want to use France's upcoming presidency of the European Union, starting July 1, to leverage Israel's position on the continent, so it can join European financial, educational, environmental and judicial organizations.

And for now, Sarkozy's foreign policy revolves around an obsession: ISRAEL.

Qu'est-ce que la barbarie contemporaine ?

Réponse abrégée et illustrée du philosophe français Alain Badiou.

Entretien Alain Badiou (2)
envoyé par rue89

"Sarkozy peut se réclamer de tout finalement, sauf de la civilisation. A mes yeux, c'est un barbare..."

Sarkoland of Vulgarity

"I live my life," he says, "and I couldn't care less about the comments of others. During the last 12 years, people became accustomed to seeing grandpa and grandma in the Élysée. I have a new style. The whole world will have to get used to it. Now the French have a real man in the Élysée, a man who has something between his legs and uses it."

Lebanon and The Puppeteers

Read carefully this interesting press review from Syria Comment on the deadlock in the Lebanese crisis to elect a president and tell me how many puppeteers can you count in these stories ?

The only sense we can make of such news is that Lebanese Politcians are puppets and seem happy with the fact, especially those of March 14th who let Bush and Sarkozy speak on their behalf. I have one objection however, the role of the puppeteer Syria is exaggerated by Sarkozy and Bush. That's to hide their own role as puppets masters.

I mean read the title at Syria Comment: 'Bush, Sarkozy, and Mualem face off'. That's hilarious because to make sense of this you have either to inflate Mualem or to deflate Bush and Sarkozy. And Mouallem seems to be more than happy to play the game.

Question à Sarkozy: Y-a-t-il un système colonial juste ?

Je suis atterrée par les déclarations successives de Sarkozy à l'étranger. A l'image de ses amis Néo-cons américains et internationalistes, Sarkozy n'a que du mérpis pour les pays du tiers monde. Pour lui, ces pays et leurs peuples ne sont qu'une commodité économique, de nouveaux horizons pour les multinationales françaises. Du haut de sa certitude sur tout, y compris même sur la génétique et les maladies mentales, Sarkozy nous assène ses vérités. Combien jusqu'à maintenant ont osé interrogé les vérités fallacieuses de Sarkozy ? Bernard Henri-Lévy s'est empressé de le disculper quant au ton raciste de son discours de Dakar, en l'attribuant à sa plume, Henri Guéant. Sa rhétorique sur la génétique et les maladies mentales fut critiquée seulement par quelques spécialistes. Ségolène Royal, en pleine campagne électorale, s'est même montrée incapable de la juger: "Je laisse cela aux spécialistes", a-t-elle dit, feignant une fausse prudence, comme si les implications dangereuses de ce discours pour la société française lui échappaient totalement, comme si l'idéologie dangereuse d'un homme à la tête de l'état ne devait être que l'affaire des 'spécialistes', des académiciens, des experts, non en idéologies dangereuses, mais en matières académiques détournées pour des idéologies dangereuses.

Sarkozy continue, avec le discours d'Alger, à nous livrer une vision du monde dangereusement néocolonialiste. La dernière 'perle' est là: il semblerait qu'il y ait des sytèmes coloniaux injustes. De cette déclaration découle qu'il existerait nécessairement des systèmes coloniaux justes. Lesquels ? L'Iraq ? Israel ? Et qui définit ce qui est juste et ce qui ne l'est pas ? Le colonisateur ou le colonisé ? Quelqu'un, un journaliste qui a du cran, poserait-il la question à Sarkozy ?

Je suggère que M. Sarkozy en fasse le sujet de la prochaine encyclique envoyée aux enseignants dans les écoles françaises: "Nommez un système colonial juste et dites pourquoi ce système est-il juste."

Ou peut-être fonder un colonialisme 'juste' sera la marque de la politique étrangère de M. Sarkozy ? Tout, jusqu'ici, tend à montrer que Sarkozy travaille dans ce sens.

Mise À jour en date de mercredi 5 décembre 2007: "L'histoire n'est pas morale", a dit M. Sarkozy dans les ruines romaines de Tipaza en Algérie, en réponse à une question sur les demandes de repentance pour le passé colonial de la France en Algérie, formulées par les autorités Algériennes aux autorités Françaises et à Sarkozy en particulier. Dira-t-il la même chose à son ami André Glucksman en parlant de la Shoah et du droit d'Israel à l'existence ?

"A Alger, le président Sarkozy évoque "un système colonial profondément injuste""

A Alger, le président Sarkozy évoque "un système colonial profondément injuste"
LE MONDE | 04.12.07

©

L'UMP suspend le député villepiniste Jean-Pierre Grand pour avoir critiqué Nicolas Sarkozy
LEMONDE.FR | 05.12.07

©

Plus sur la position de Bernard Henri Lévy vis-à-vis de la nouvelle morale bon teint bon chic de la gauche.

France and Israel: "When leaders fall in love, so do the people"

Photo AFP

"Sarkozy did not hide his great support for Israel and openly expressed how impressed he was by the young country's achievements," the diplomat said.

"Throughout his presidential campaign, Sarkozy unabashedly declared he was an admirer of Israel. To his inner circle he spoke of a real affinity and on the occasion of his acceptance speech of his party's candidacy for president he described his visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial as one of the two most important events in his life.

"A French diplomat talking on condition of anonymity said the French were rediscovering Israel, and Israel was rediscovering France. "The music sounded by France is very pleasing to Israel, particularly on the Iranian issue. We see eye-to-eye on the issue of Iran nuclear armament," he said.

Israel's ambassador to France, Daniel Shek, also sounded upbeat about the warming of relations.

"I wouldn't say there was a fundamental shift on the basic policies of France toward Israel, but the tone has certainly changed," the ambassador said. "Sarkozy is stating clearly and openly that he is pro-Israel, pro-America and against Iran. What more can you ask for?" "

France faces largest strike in years

Sarkusconi

Cartoon by Steve Bell (my preferred cartoonist)
"Nicolas Sarkozy may fast make a name for himself on the world stage. Just not the one he wants
Six months in office, and Nicolas Sarkozy has not ceased being an embarrassment on the world stage. From his first appearance at the G8 summit in Germany, where he foolishly called for more delay on Kosovo - a move that courtesy forced his new partners to support - to his fawning visit to Washington this week, France's president is making waves for the wrong reasons. Headstrong and unreflective, Sarkozy risks making an ass of himself."

Sarkozy's Slip Of The Tongue And The Mainstreaming of Torture

As US citizens are bracing for yet another Bush attorney general nominee who condones Torture but won't say so, Sarkozy asks journalists not to torture him for his love for America.
"I am a friend of America. Don't torture me for it"

In the picture above you can see Sarkozy (unrecognizable of course because his face is covered by a wet tissue) interrogated on his love for America.

In the following video you can see how difficult it is to interrogate him on his love for Cecilia without resorting to waterboarding.

L'Arche de Sarkozy

J'adore la manière avec laquelle Spiegel couvre le président français. Je découvre l'humour Allemand et j'apprécie.

Whenever Europeans are in peril in Africa, it seems that Nicolas Sarkozy is never far away.

Read my article: Humanitarian Work should be saved from Save Darfur.

Sarkozy: Going Ugly Early

"Sarkozy had promised to expel 25,000 illegal immigrants from France by the end of 2007. But Hortefeux, who is head of the newly created Ministry of Immigration and National Identity, is struggling to meet the target, with only 11,000 having been shown the door in the first seven months of the year. "I want numbers!" Sarkozy told the minister in a meeting last month, according to Le Point magazine. "It's a campaign commitment. The French are expecting this from me," he was reported as saying.
...Tensions have also been raised after a parliamentary commission on Wednesday approved introducing DNA tests for family members of immigrants already in France. The measure will now be included in a sweeping immigration law to be debated by parliament next week, aimed at toughening visa requirements. "No subject should be taboo," Hortefeux told reporters on Thursday."

Sarkozy is the son of Hungarians who emigrated to France after the end of WWII. And his wife boasts about not having one drop of French blood in her veins. May be she should pass the test, who knows ?

Geneticians and former members of the national council for Bioethics on France's emerging infamy.

Read here my article : Sarkozy and the popular science of genes.

And here: Les Politiques de l'exclusion

La Politique Étrangère de Sarkozy Vue de Berlin

Spiegel Online (édition anglaise) publie dans un seul article et sous le titre 'Rambo à L'Élysée' des extraits de commentaires de la presse allemande sur le discours de politique étrangère de Sarkozy.

Voici la traduction d'un extrait provenant du Financial Times Deutschland:

"Le style de Sarkozy est rafraîchissant, mais il échouerait comme ministre des affaires étrangères s'il pense qu'il peut forcer les choses. Au niveau domestique interne, dans le système politique français, il est possible de s'affirmer dans une dispute. Quand on en vient à la politique étrangère, un pouvoir moyen comme la France n'aura d'influence que s'il suit les régles de la diplomatie: établir ses priorités et avoir des alliés sûrs."

"Sarkozy ne suit pas ces règles, il ne semble pas dessiner une voie claire en politique étrangère. La seule chose claire est que la France va s'embourber dans des conflits internationaux sous la présidence de Sarkozy. Dans quel but ? Ce n'est pas clair. A moins bien sûr que ce ne soit pour gratifier la soif de reconnaissance internationale de Sarkozy. Avec une clarté rafrapichissante, le président s'est déjà distancé de la Chine et de la Russie. En même temps, il essaie d'effacer l'impression, qu'il a lui-même contribué à donner, que la politique étrangère de la France va se rapprocher de celle des États-Unis."

"Sarkozy veut réaligner complètement l'Union Européenne pour que les pourparlers avec la Turquie pour son accession au statut de membre rencontrent certaines de ses propres conditions. Il aura à apprendre que la politique Européenne ne marche pas de cette façon. Quant à son idée de faire en sorte que l'Union Européenne accède à un rôle plus fort sur la scène internationale en matière de sécurité globale*, il aura là aussi à apprendre cette leçon: plusieurs de ses nouveaux partenaires européens vont rapidement rabrouer le nouveau gars à Paris ainsi que son plan."

* Sarkozy a prouvé le contraire avec l'affaire des infirmières Bulgares. Son geste unilatéral a affaibli l'Union en matière de politique commune étrangère et sécurité globale.

Sarkozy's visit to Bush: fast track for world leader media status for Sarko and chicken soup for Bush

From Spiegel

Hot dogs instead of lobster and hamburgers rather than swordfish: French President Nicolas Sarkozy's blitz visit to the Bush family compound in Kennebunkport was anything but a culinary summit. Politically, it was all show.
...Although he does not speak English fluently, and although Bush does not speak French at all ("I can barely speak English," the US president quipped), the visit was meant to emphasize one thing more than anything else: that the physically unimposing Sarkozy is used to dealing with the world's powerful in a completely relaxed way.

...Hamburger diplomacy at the lunchtime barbeque organized by the Bush family was just the right thing for hyperactive Sarkozy (who jetted across the Atlantic earlier to attend the funeral of Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger). And since neither Tony Blair from Britain nor Silvio Berlusconi from Italy nor José Maria Aznar from Spain is still in office, Sarkozy used the opportunity to sharpen his profile as old Europe's allied leader.

... It was chicken soup for Bush's soul. A solid 65 percent of US citizens now take a negative view of their president. His international ratings are similarly devastating: According to one poll, citizens in 42 out of 47 countries believe Washington is primarily pursuing its own interests when it claims to be promoting democracy. The Bush administration's power politics are being criticized the world over. That makes the friendship with Sarkozy all the more satisfying...

Sarkozy's Politics of Exclusion

Grozbulles, a centrist French blog (from the only real political center in France, not the counterfeited ones) that publishes political cartoons and extensive analyses of French Politics, has featured an article I wrote on the first measure of Sarkozy's infamous ministry of Immigration and National Identity.

Les Politiques de l'exclusion: Dissection de la première mesure du ministère de l'immigration et de l'identité nationale.

The Politics of Exclusion: France to pay immigrants to return home

Some 5 million immigrants, who are irregular residents in France and asking for the French citizenship, are eligible for this measure which opens the way to paying a family around 6000 euros in exchange for their returning to their country of origin. Sarkozy as minister of interior had already offered this measure to families. Some 3000 families accepted the deal. Now his immigration minister wants to offer it to individuals who are willing to use this money to invest it in their country of origin and start a business. The countries of origin of France's immigrants are mainly in north Africa.

Let me tell you why this is only posturing or "du vent", like they say in French, in terms of political and social handling of immigration, and a very dangerous measure, not only for the immigrants who will choose to stay, but also for the entire French society.

Sarkozy was elected thanks to the supproters of the far right, anti-immigration politician Jean-Marie Le Pen. However, anti-immigrant sentiments are not only restricted to Le Pen's supporters and have become pervasive among many, left or right, in a French society faced with acute problems related to access to jobs for the young and insecurity in Paris's suburbs. No matter how much facts and figures tell the story of a disgruntled young generation from the immigration, well integrated, but unable to lead a normal life, let alone find a job or an appartment to rent, having to fight an implicit discrimination in a country that boasts about its standing for Equality and Human Rights, Sarkozy and most of the French press controlled by Sarkozy's high profile friends in the business community, have made of immigration the number one issue, not for immigrants, but for the French society which was led to believe that immigration was the cause of its economic and social problems, problems which were mainly the result of the mismanagement of the country by Sarkozy's political governing party, the UMP, for the last 12 years.

Now Sarkozy wants to appear as an appeaser, a pacifier, and a generous compassionate person, while in fact following a very coherent goal for his political project for France: get rid of the poor, the unfit, and the weakest elements of the French society. What kind of family or individual would accept to leave for such a meager sum ? Even though it might represent something more substantial in his country of origin. This measure targets very few, those who live in squatters and in very dire conditions, those who are desperate and willing to cash in, or at the best, those who have some creative ideas and projects. Will the families who are able to send their children to school and, even unemployed, manage to live in the meanders and hardship of immigration while hoping for the better, accept this 'generous offer' ? Will individuals who are really creative and have projects accept the offer ? I bet not, or only very few of them. Immigration is made of hope and the hope for a better life cannot be bought for 6000 euros, unless, of course, one has lost any hope for the future or one has creativity, commitments, and some help to implement his project in his country of origin. These are the families and individuals who will accept Sarkozy's offer, the 'lowest of the low', those who lost any hope for the future, or the brightest of the low, those who are entrepreneurs and creative but lack money and means.

These are extremes on the Bell curve of immigration profiles.
Most likely, it will be the lowest of the low who will accept Sarkozy's offer because those who have a project for the future can still hope implementing a successful project for their life in France.

And how this measure will help 'development' in the countries of origins, as Sarkozy and his minister claim, when the families who will accept 6000 euros are the ones who in fact did not succeed in adapting to even a miserable life in France and had lost hope in the future ?

In fact what Sarkozy is doing, he is getting rid of the unfit elements of the French society and he can do so because thay are irregular immigrants, while, on the other hand, not offering a large scale solution to the problem of immigration per se for those who choose to stay and fight; integration, equality in rights, respect, and so on...Those who are in the middle of the Bell curve of immigration profiles. Or may be he will be going to make the life of these others who choose to stay so miserable that in the end he will be putting more and more of them outside the system. This is integration in reverse. French citizens should be very worry about this measure because when a country starts to get rid of its weak elements while marginalising the others, less weak, but still not completely fit for sarkozy's standards, the process can lead to abuses in all strata of society, and there are historical chilling examples for that.

Sarkozy's measure, although restricted, for the time being, to the most weak elements of the French society, is a perfect example of an explicit ideology for a politic of exclusion that will be the common feature for all Sarkozy's political decisions. It should raise the alarm bells in the French society. I am not worried only for these immigrants, after all, they might be happy just to cash in and return home, I am worried of what this kind of ideology might lead to in the future in France if Sarkozy will be given a green light from the French society and political parties, and if his measure will be welcomed with some admiration, as all his other moves, because it will be seen as a bold move, or a light embarrassement, at worse.

p.s: If you look at the Technorati page of the blogs discussing the story as reported by Der Spiegel, the measure seems to have already seduced some while right wing extremists are cheering. I hope there will be some kind of reaction, a strong one, from the Frecnch blogosphere. I am waiting for some substance on the subject that might prompt some real criticism, not only indignation or cheering.

Sarkozy's Stolen Victories

Nicolas Sarkozy is a man constantly on the move. He practically hops around in his suit. He shrugs his shoulders, jerks his head and raises his eyebrows. In his manner, he likens a bouncing ball, full of energy but completely unpredictable. Since his election in early May, the French president has been ricocheting through European diplomatic circles like an out-of-control comet.
...The small-statured Sarkozy has assumed the role of the great statesman. Slapping shoulders, patting backs and distributing kisses, he leaves the impression of success in his wake. His approach is allowing the French to breathe a collective sigh of relief. After many years of near-paralysis, the country is assuming the leadership of an increasingly lethargic EU.

This, at least, is the impression Sarkozy would like to make. His European partners can only look on in speechless astonishment as Sarkozy rushes ahead. The crowing of the Gallic rooster is replacing the European anthem as Europe acquires a leader who has shown himself willing to flaunt tradition. His will, it appears, is the road to success.

There is only one problem: Sarkozy's victories are stolen victories. He is steadily co-opting successes which, in some cases, others have spent years diligently preparing. His policies are intended to radiate dynamism and energy. But in reality, he jumps from one issue to the next -- with apparently no system or coherence, but with a great deal of fanfare and fireworks... More...