the dissident frogman · time to take sides

Ach so?

During his time in the Syrian capital, Sarkozy sat down with Lebanese daily newspaper Al-Akhbar, which quoted the French leader as saying that Paris "does not view Hizballah as a terror organization, rather it appreciates its opposition to occupation, as France has faced a similar experience in the past."

Okay, the Al-Akhbar Lebanese daily seems to be nothing more than Hizballah's unofficial press organ, so I will grant such a dubious source (yeah, I am being polite here. Enjoy while it lasts) as much credibility as I give any French daily such as Le Monde or Liberation.

I now, that's harsh, but after all they are Hizballah's mouthpiece so they shall expect decent people to treat them as lying thugs.

So when it comes to Sarko Two Face, it's probably not the point where I say "See? I told you so"—though I did tell you so, you know. Just for the record and all.

However, I'm not totally stupid or forgetful of the past, well, 200 years+ of French history and foreign policy, and particularly not when it comes to their last and finest representative, King Nicolas Sarkozy the 1st.

Sarkozy's main obsession is his pet project of a "Mediterranean Union", by which he doesn't mean any kind of Great Olive Oil Producers' Alliance between Spain, Italy and Greece—these are already part of that other great union, the European one.

Sarkozy's Mediterranean Union is just the old French Arab Policy, as initiated by the treacherous de Gaulle, with a new name but the same old principles—or rather, lack of.

The goals remain unchanged: "restore" France's stature on the international scene¹, link up with lots of Baksheesh Buddies® and make new ones, in order to secure the old French ways of doing business with the oil-rich and core-corrupt Arab world; but more importantly of all: oppose "American hegemony" (an ubiquitous term within the French political class for the last 60 years, at the very least) by all means and at all costs. Especially now that the top dawg in the Middle-East—so far France's nearly exclusive post-colonial playground—is Uncle Sam.

To that aim, Sarkozy re-empowered Muhammad Gaddafi, going so far as to provide that early rising star of Islamic terror sponsor state with nuclear technology², a few Rafale fighter planes³, and even letting that desert snake plant his Bedouin tent in the middle of Paris, next to the French presidential palace—a symbol of power and conquest that certainly didn't go amiss among the Muhammadans.

Then there's al-Assad offered petits-fours on the taxpayers' account in Paris for the Bastille Day parade⁴—and Sarkozy travelling to Syria in return.

And now this.

Makes for a lot of funny coincidence; so even though nothing that comes from Hizballah can be trusted, I would watch closely what will—should—come out of l'Elysée or the Quai d'Orsay in the coming days.

Surely, if Al-Akhbar made that up, the French presidency will issue a denial.

Like, anytime now.

EDIT: 1,2,3,3—fixed the bad case of footnote cloning. All hail Boogs the Watchful for the heads-up.