France attacks Ivory Coast

Hmmmm...was that a unilateral movement? Did they seek UN approval and use the "global test?"

No, they broke the ceasefire with the Rebels and started this war...are they whining for UN help yet?

I thought France had taken the highroad but I hope now everybody can see just how bad Chirac is for France. France needs a leader who is better for the world (figured turnabout is fair play, right?).

Just like Canada needs a better world leader instead of Paul Martin.

- Grinning Grim

Are you serious? Did you check the date on that page?

Why hasn't Annan declared this war illegal?! France made planes explode! There must be a way we can punish them for this...

1...2...3...4...
France You Stop This Racist War!

It wouldn't be a good anti-war chat unless the word "racist" is tossed in.

No more blood for...diamonds! Yeah, there has to be some of those there...

As far I can tell the reason France is in the Ivory Cost is because of cocoa. The Ivory Coast is one of the largest producers of cocoa in the world.
Aha! it's blood for chocolate

I knew it! Let us buy French flags that are made in China and burn them! Organize the rally! We shall overthrow this war-mongering government!

Are you serious? Did you check the date on that page?

I think we've found a mystical path into the future with the linked article.... But seriously, if you want to protest the French, go for it. They've never really cared what the "unsophisticated American pigdogs" thought of them, and they're unlikely to start now. It seems pretty pointless to me.

I wonder what else we can find out through this magical portal...

It would make a nice blog to trace France's participation in North Africa ( an obsession they had before Napoleon ) , and South East Asia, and how it always seems the US gets to deal with the PR nightmare in parts of the world the French empire has failed to oppress and fled from...

They do have a feel for which nations to hang on to. Not sure what the big draw is for the Ivory Coast, but their uranium business in Niger no doubt makes them very popular.

Are you serious? Did you check the date on that page?

I know exactly what you mean. I personally throw away magazines that I receive before the month it says on the cover. Same reason I won't buy Madden '05 UNTIL it's 2005.

But seriously, if you want to protest the French, go for it. They've never really cared what the "unsophisticated American pigdogs" thought of them, and they're unlikely to start now. It seems pretty pointless to me.

That's why I wonder why people care so much what the French think of us.

let's calm down frog haters...
France's forces are with a U.N. force in Ivory Coast.
The Ivorian air force bombed (apperently by mistake according to their government, they were "aiming" for a rebel base) a French base and killed 6 French soldiers and 1 American worker. France had every right to retaliate and destroy the air force imediatly. The U.N. security council is behind France. I really don't get your sarcasm...

I know exactly what you mean. I personally throw away magazines that I receive before the month it says on the cover. Same reason I won't buy Madden '05 UNTIL it's 2005.

It's always good to take a principled stand. Stand up against the abuses of time and space!

It would make a nice blog to trace France's participation in North Africa ( an obsession they had before Napoleon ) , and South East Asia, and how it always seems the US gets to deal with the PR nightmare in parts of the world the French empire has failed to oppress and fled from... They do have a feel for which nations to hang on to. Not sure what the big draw is for the Ivory Coast, but their uranium business in Niger no doubt makes them very popular.

The US is hardly the one who deals with the French's PR disasters. Noone does. Nobody cares about Africa, least of all the normally rapacious Western media. I think it's more colonial ties and responsibilities that guide French interference in North Africa, much like US colonial ties and responsibilities underlies much of the relationship between the Phillipines and the US. And the uranium deposits in Niger are fairly inconsequential. It's much more cost effective to import uranium products from Australia and the US.

Well, we could overthrow the umm...terrorist dictator Chirac and free France from his military tyranny. I personally would volunteer to guard the women on the French Riviera during the occupation, or perhaps the wine in, I mean the wine country around Burgandy..........

I know it would be hard to become accustomed to the strange customs of such a foreign land, such as the nude beaches, the different gourmet cuisine, or the primitive native artworks of people like Monet, or Degas, but as a soldier, I'm willing to make that sacrifice for my family, and my country.

let's calm down frog haters... France's forces are with a U.N. force in Ivory Coast. The Ivorian air force bombed (apperently by mistake according to their government, they were "aiming" for a rebel base) a French base and killed 6 French soldiers and 1 American worker. France had every right to retaliate and destroy the air force imediatly. The U.N. security council is behind France. I really don't get your sarcasm...

Was the Ivory Coast an immediate threat to France? If not, then why the Hell would the U.N. approve such a violent action? France doesn't belong there! The Ivorian air force had every right to bomb the violent oppressors known as the French!

No blood for oil!

Was the Ivory Coast an immediate threat to France? If not, then why the Hell would the U.N. approve such a violent action? France doesn't belong there! The Ivorian air force had every right to bomb the violent oppressors known as the French!

Ok, now you see, there's hmm... a civil war in Ivory Coast and (ok here's where it gets complicated...) the U.N. is there to prevent both sides from killing each other completly (they do that sometimes for fun I guess). France provided around half the total ammount of the troops for the U.N.

But seriously... if France would have done nothing after this incident, most of you would have been all over the place screaming how the French are surrender monkeys and such...

"But seriously... if France would have done nothing after this incident, most of you would have been all over the place screaming how the French are surrender monkeys and such..."

Nah, if we took the time to express outrage over every conflict France avoided or tucked tail and ran from, we'd waste far, far too much time...

You mean to say they arent? Try typing in "french military victories" in google one time...heheheh.

And why don't you try typing "miserable failure" in google. heheheh?

Ok, now you see, there's hmm... a civil war in Ivory Coast and (ok here's where it gets complicated...) the U.N. is there to prevent both sides from killing each other completly (they do that sometimes for fun I guess). France provided around half the total ammount of the troops for the U.N. But seriously... if France would have done nothing after this incident, most of you would have been all over the place screaming how the French are surrender monkeys and such..

I was under the impression that it was originally a colony of France and France was once again trying to exert influence over another nation. I didn't realize that it was a purely humanitarian effort that would benefit France in no way.

Were the seven protesters the French killed also a threat to the world?

Interesting how people enjoy critising the French without any concept of the facts.

The government of the Ivory Coast broke the UN brokered peace deal at the start of last week with no warning when it started bombing rebel positions in the north of the country. This was immediately condemned. Then then 'accidently' bombed UN marked troops, killing 9 French and 1 American. The French immediately destroyed the Ivorian airforce. This included destroying a helicopter in the presidential compound. The media stirred up a frenzy by accusing the French of staging a coup and thousands of Ivorians went on the rampage attacking foreigners. Both French and Ivorian troops working TOGETHER attemped to keep order, with the government calling for calm and stating that they were not being attacked or replaced by the French. A number of civilians were killed, but there is no proof that the French killed them. Indeed France has asked for a public enquiry after it suspected government forces killed them to enhance anti foreigner hatred.

So, did the French over react? possibly. Destroying a helicopter within the presidential compound was probably a mistake. They did however put an immediate stop to the peacefire breach (ordered by the president) by destroying the airforce and the rebels therefore were not dragged back into civil war. So no, the French succeeded in averting (or at least delaying) civil war.

How would anyone else have reacted? If that had been the US, what would they have done? Probably the same.

No the problem was that a number of media outlets took the oppertunity to stir up the trouble by claiming a coup was in progress and calling for attacks on foreigners. The fact that Ivorian and French troops worked side by side throughout the incident to restore calm was a good sign.

Paul.

Oh, well, Kudos to the humanitarian French, Solitair. Don't you wish they could have made the same effort to save a million people in Rwanda. Funny how they pick and choose their battles, huh? I think that most people here are just curious as to why the French seem so moved in the Ivory Coast when they are so rarely moved any other time...

You know as well as we do that the concept of the humanitarian French is bullshit, and they act in their interest just like any other nation. ( ADDENDUM: I can't be that diplomatic. They refuse to act militarily unless it is in their interes... )The bruise here is the fact they seem to think they don't, or at leasy hypocritically lambast the US for behaving in the same way at every given opportunity.

Let's not forget that not too many years ago this was the same nation insisting on nuclear tests and attacking a Greenpeace ship...

"Don't you wish they could have made the same effort to save a million people in Rwanda." So France did nothing for Rwanda, and it's bad, and France stopped a Civil War in Ivory Coast, so it did NOT go the way of rwanda and sierra Leone, and it's bad too ?
Let's just bash France ! Let's just forget that there were 20000 french citizens in Ivory Coast, that african nations were totally ok with french troops in IC, that in fact there's more UN (african peacekeepers) troops in IC than french soldiers ? Let's forget that hundreds of americans have fled IC, too, thanks to french soldiers protecting the airport . Let's forget that a full civil war in IC could destabilize all of Western Africa. That the full UN council (US included) is supporting france actions and the urgent need to not let IC go in chaos.

I mean : What's the point of facts ? Sure, France was very interested in IC cocoa : it's so expensive on the world market just right now ! Cocoa is the new oil ! Get rich stockpiling it !

Propaganda Yes ! Facts No!

If you really want to blame France about IC, you should look in the past. There have been lots of mistakes made.

I mean : What's the point of facts ? Sure, France was very interested in IC cocoa : it's so expensive on the world market just right now ! Cocoa is the new oil ! Get rich stockpiling it !

It makes sense. After all, if I know my liberalism correctly, it goes like this: "If a country with a valuable resource is attacked, then clearly we are fighting to steal that national resource, and for no other reason."