France
I never did like France. French anti-Americanism seems to stem not from a purely ideological difference with American ideals and actions, but rather a bitter resentment that the French are no longer the superpowers of the world. (Oh, the glory days of Napoleon!...Do you really believe the self-righteous tone that France adopts when opposing American "imperialism" and anti-Saddam Hussein diplomacy? Honestly, they'd like to have that political clout themselves, as evidenced by their constant pushing of the France-controlled European Union into the forefront of international politics. Plus, they had their own national & economic interests in opposing the War in Iraq.) But anyway, it seems like a lot of things are going terribly wrong there, and I am very concerned.
First, the emergence of Jean-Marie Le Pen and his far-right party (The National Front) into political power. A testament to the growing xenophobia in France that just doesn't know what to do with its large Jewish population and its ever-growing Muslim immigrant population. The reason why the reprehensible Jacques Chirac won his second presidency (because all "normal" sides panicked at the prospect of an extremist in power and banded together to elect the one most likely to beat Le Pen).
The riots in France earlier this winter, instigated throughout the Paris suburbs by infuriated young thugs who happened to be Muslim, unemployed, and having nothing better to do than randomly set cars and buildings on fire and wreak havoc and terror throughout the country. Why is it that France--its people so well-educated, so intelligent, so liberal--is facing a rapid rise in Islamic radicalism? Why does this country--so proud of espousing peace and diplomacy and tolerance abroad--have so many racial problems within its own borders?! And why are they so afraid of punishing THUGS for doing thuggish things?! (The way the government officially reacted to the riots--conveniently ignoring the real reasons and purely blaming the rioters' economic and social grievances--was misguided and perhaps a bit naive.) France has failed to assimilate its immigrants and minorities, creating instead an environment ripe for racial tension, social insecurity, and a bitterness and anger that will escalate into violence. More so than America, the Middle East, or Southeast Asia, Western Europe has become the center of the implosion of Islamic radicalism. It is there that jihadists flock to make their points loud and clear in the international stage. Despite the wakeup calls (the fact that the 9/11 plot was hatched there, the Madrid and London bombings, the murder of Theo van Gogh, etc.), Europe (and France, which probably has the most visible problems in dealing with Muslims who live on its soil) has been largely casting a blind eye to its domestic problem. It's like they're too afraid to address it directly and to firmly implement unpopular legislation in the name of security; to avoid the problem is to give short-term peace of mind and long-term unease.
Then the horrific kidnapping, vicious torture, and murder of that young Jewish man, Ilan Halimi. By a bunch of young Muslim hoodlums who were looking for some moolah. Just reading about the way the poor guy was treated leading up to his death made me sick to my stomach. A 17-year old Iranian girl, using her feminine wiles, lured him into a trap, and then a group of gangsters tied him up and kept him captive, demanding ransom money from his family. He was found dumped near a train station, naked, bound, and gagged with a bunch of grotesque stab wounds and burn marks all over his body, and he died in the hospital a short while thereafter. Twenty young adults were charged with the crime. Good thing the ringleader of the gang was found and extradited from the Ivory Coast. But this wasn't the first brutal murder of a Jew in France, a country known for its problem of anti-Semitism. Europe as a whole has never completely reconciled their "Jewish" problem, and this is the most glaring in France, which has the largest population of Jews in the continent. They were the ones who advocated the creation of Israel immediately following the Holocaust and WWII, yet they support Palestine and the PLO, which in its charter vows to rid Israel from the map. Add to this European disdain for Israel the violent anti-Semitism of the radical Muslims who live in Europe, and you get a pretty ominous picture.
Now the increasingly violent student protests over the new French labor laws that would prevent lifetime job security for workers who are under the age of 26. This law would help boost employment for the young and the lower-middle class, while it would put a cramp on the job complacency of the upper-middle class. (Unemployment is 23% among workers under 26, and a whopping 50% in suburbs full of immigrants.) Students at Sorbonne University teamed up with labor union members to protest this push toward free market capitalism. (France is western and democratic, but pro-free market it ain't. Their economic policies may be aimed at protecting their workers, but they result in massive unemployment rates, economic tensions abroad, and a culture of entitlement and complacency.) It shows the tension between France's need to make its economic structures more flexible in order to be more conducive to free market capitalism, and its tradition of heavy protectionism and unionism. These reforms came in the wake of the French riots from poorly educated, unemployed minority youths in the winter. By making it easier for them to obtain jobs, the logic goes, peace and stability will be restored. Ironic then that this is causing riots from highly educated young Frenchies who see their own self-interests threatened for the sake of the greater societal good.
Where does that leave the state of France? I think its people have to look honestly at themselves and the kind of place that France has become. By no means am I saying that France deserves all this turmoil because of its previous actions. No--but what can France learn from all this? Will France muster up the courage to directly confront these problems or will it hide its head in the sand in the face of adversity? How will it deal with it domestic tensions with its Muslim population, especially in the face of the War on Terrorism? What are the implications of economic reform on the French identity and national mindset? And finally, how will all this affect transatlantic relations with America and France's standing in the world stage?
I guess my interpretation of these events is augmented by my personal dislike of France (well, Paris actually) and the prevalent attitude of its people. I guess I just had a really bad experience in Paris and the people who hailed from there; the people in general were rude, racist, condescending, and arrogant in that infuriating, self-congratulatory way that makes you makes you really jaded about the world. Just the two facts that I'm a minority and (worse!) American makes me sub-human. That offends me to the core. I don't know what about French culture or tradition brings out this contempt for the non-European, but I am simultaneously repulsed and intrigued.
Well, at least France has excellent cheese. :)
First, the emergence of Jean-Marie Le Pen and his far-right party (The National Front) into political power. A testament to the growing xenophobia in France that just doesn't know what to do with its large Jewish population and its ever-growing Muslim immigrant population. The reason why the reprehensible Jacques Chirac won his second presidency (because all "normal" sides panicked at the prospect of an extremist in power and banded together to elect the one most likely to beat Le Pen).
The riots in France earlier this winter, instigated throughout the Paris suburbs by infuriated young thugs who happened to be Muslim, unemployed, and having nothing better to do than randomly set cars and buildings on fire and wreak havoc and terror throughout the country. Why is it that France--its people so well-educated, so intelligent, so liberal--is facing a rapid rise in Islamic radicalism? Why does this country--so proud of espousing peace and diplomacy and tolerance abroad--have so many racial problems within its own borders?! And why are they so afraid of punishing THUGS for doing thuggish things?! (The way the government officially reacted to the riots--conveniently ignoring the real reasons and purely blaming the rioters' economic and social grievances--was misguided and perhaps a bit naive.) France has failed to assimilate its immigrants and minorities, creating instead an environment ripe for racial tension, social insecurity, and a bitterness and anger that will escalate into violence. More so than America, the Middle East, or Southeast Asia, Western Europe has become the center of the implosion of Islamic radicalism. It is there that jihadists flock to make their points loud and clear in the international stage. Despite the wakeup calls (the fact that the 9/11 plot was hatched there, the Madrid and London bombings, the murder of Theo van Gogh, etc.), Europe (and France, which probably has the most visible problems in dealing with Muslims who live on its soil) has been largely casting a blind eye to its domestic problem. It's like they're too afraid to address it directly and to firmly implement unpopular legislation in the name of security; to avoid the problem is to give short-term peace of mind and long-term unease.
Then the horrific kidnapping, vicious torture, and murder of that young Jewish man, Ilan Halimi. By a bunch of young Muslim hoodlums who were looking for some moolah. Just reading about the way the poor guy was treated leading up to his death made me sick to my stomach. A 17-year old Iranian girl, using her feminine wiles, lured him into a trap, and then a group of gangsters tied him up and kept him captive, demanding ransom money from his family. He was found dumped near a train station, naked, bound, and gagged with a bunch of grotesque stab wounds and burn marks all over his body, and he died in the hospital a short while thereafter. Twenty young adults were charged with the crime. Good thing the ringleader of the gang was found and extradited from the Ivory Coast. But this wasn't the first brutal murder of a Jew in France, a country known for its problem of anti-Semitism. Europe as a whole has never completely reconciled their "Jewish" problem, and this is the most glaring in France, which has the largest population of Jews in the continent. They were the ones who advocated the creation of Israel immediately following the Holocaust and WWII, yet they support Palestine and the PLO, which in its charter vows to rid Israel from the map. Add to this European disdain for Israel the violent anti-Semitism of the radical Muslims who live in Europe, and you get a pretty ominous picture.
Now the increasingly violent student protests over the new French labor laws that would prevent lifetime job security for workers who are under the age of 26. This law would help boost employment for the young and the lower-middle class, while it would put a cramp on the job complacency of the upper-middle class. (Unemployment is 23% among workers under 26, and a whopping 50% in suburbs full of immigrants.) Students at Sorbonne University teamed up with labor union members to protest this push toward free market capitalism. (France is western and democratic, but pro-free market it ain't. Their economic policies may be aimed at protecting their workers, but they result in massive unemployment rates, economic tensions abroad, and a culture of entitlement and complacency.) It shows the tension between France's need to make its economic structures more flexible in order to be more conducive to free market capitalism, and its tradition of heavy protectionism and unionism. These reforms came in the wake of the French riots from poorly educated, unemployed minority youths in the winter. By making it easier for them to obtain jobs, the logic goes, peace and stability will be restored. Ironic then that this is causing riots from highly educated young Frenchies who see their own self-interests threatened for the sake of the greater societal good.
Where does that leave the state of France? I think its people have to look honestly at themselves and the kind of place that France has become. By no means am I saying that France deserves all this turmoil because of its previous actions. No--but what can France learn from all this? Will France muster up the courage to directly confront these problems or will it hide its head in the sand in the face of adversity? How will it deal with it domestic tensions with its Muslim population, especially in the face of the War on Terrorism? What are the implications of economic reform on the French identity and national mindset? And finally, how will all this affect transatlantic relations with America and France's standing in the world stage?
I guess my interpretation of these events is augmented by my personal dislike of France (well, Paris actually) and the prevalent attitude of its people. I guess I just had a really bad experience in Paris and the people who hailed from there; the people in general were rude, racist, condescending, and arrogant in that infuriating, self-congratulatory way that makes you makes you really jaded about the world. Just the two facts that I'm a minority and (worse!) American makes me sub-human. That offends me to the core. I don't know what about French culture or tradition brings out this contempt for the non-European, but I am simultaneously repulsed and intrigued.
Well, at least France has excellent cheese. :)