UNITED NATIONS — As world leaders converged at the United Nations on Monday, French President Jacques Chirac dealt a significant blow to the Bush administration's effort to slow Iran's nuclear development, saying his government would join Russia and China in resisting the U.S. push for sanctions against Tehran.Iran wants no sanctions and more time to develop nukes. France wants no sanctions and more time for Iran to develop nukes. Even Chirac cannot be so stupid as to think that Iran will be dissuaded by the "threat" of not suspending talking about sanctions that France is now on the record as opposing anyway, along with Russia and China.
"I am never in favor of sanctions," Chirac told Europe 1 radio on the eve of the General Assembly's annual debate. "I have never observed that sanctions were very effective."
Chirac proposed a compromise in which the Security Council would suspend the threat of sanctions and Iran would suspend enrichment of uranium while the two sides talked. As a last resort, after diplomacy had been exhausted, France might consider penalties, he said, but only "moderate and adapted" ones.
How can one apply Occam's Razor to explain how France is so proactively supporting the exact same goals as a terror-supporting, fundamentalist, almost-nuclear regime?
Is it French infantilism, where they are so upset over losing their status as a world power that they will do anything to regain the illusion of relevance? (Which is, incidentally, very similar to the reason the Muslim world supports terror.)
Is it that World War II has made France so scared of war that they will do anything and appease anybody to avoid the chance of conflict?
Is it insane jealousy of the US that makes them want to automatically oppose whatever the US wants?
Is it fear that the significant Muslim population in France will revolt?
Or do we descend into conspiracy theiry territory and wonder if France doesn't have a secret backroom deal with Iran - oil for nukes?
Or did Chirac convert to Islam?
Whatever it is, it proves that France has no value anymore except to nations that support terror.