Entry details

Chirol
Author

Chirol

Date

January 20th, 2006

Tags

, ,

Comments

7 Comments so far.
Add yours.

Le Cowboy in France

Those unilateral cowboys in France are talking about responding to a terrorist attack with nuclear weapons.

France delivers nuclear threat

Jacques Chirac, France’s president, has threatened to use nuclear weapons against any state that supported terrorism against his country or considered using weapons of mass destruction. In a high-profile speech on Thursday to update military officers on France’s strategic doctrine, Mr Chirac said the end of the cold war had removed neither the threats to peace nor the justification for a nuclear deterrent.

Comments to this entry

Bill Petti
January 20, 2006
12:34 pm
As a deterrent threat it isn't credible as far as I am concerned--I don't buy for a second that France would retaliate with nuclear weapons against a state believed to have sponsored a terrorist attack. I find it just as 'credible' as the old US doctrine of "massive retaliation". This is really about drumming up domestic support for the relevance of their nuclear program, as the article states.
Jing
January 20, 2006
1:28 pm
You are using fake German with fake French! Non!
Mi-Hwa
January 20, 2006
2:55 pm
France is probably sending a strong warning to Iran. Europe is becoming tougher. Iran should take heed, before something bad happens to them.
Chirol
January 20, 2006
3:30 pm
I have no problem with France's threat and in fact, as Mi-Hwa notes, am happy that Europe at least seems to slowly be taking a tougher line. In case it slipped by anyone, this is the kind of ridiculous rhetoric that has been pouring out of Europe since 2003. This was a great chance to reverse it =) Anyone living over here or who reads French or German news should appreciate it!
StrategyUnit
January 20, 2006
8:19 pm
From reading LeMonde, it looks like they look at this as domestic posturing to justify the 3 billion USD a year nuclear program. I agree.

Of course, one could argue this was just a cover to indirectly warn Iran. But, I havnt seen anything on any dramatic shift on European or French rhetoric against Iran. If France was conducting naval military exercises in the Indian ocean at the same time, maybe I'd take it seriously. Otherwise, I think its mostly an ill-timed domestic statement.
Shay
January 20, 2006
8:52 pm
So they're only serious about Terrorism if it were to happen to them. Hmmm, quite serious.
Curzon
January 21, 2006
2:03 am
LOVE the pic! All we need now is Inspector Clouseau to save the day!