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TechnoratiMillions believe Bashar al-Assad plotted murder. Now France is honouring him
How are the mighty fallen, we used to say. Now we turn it round. How did the fallen become mighty again? Remember the "mad dog of the Middle East" -- Reagan's stupid cliché -- the "terrorist" sponsor who even sent a shipload of guns to the IRA? A certain Moammar Ghazzafi -- there are 17 different ways of spelling his name in Latin script -- was the crazed leader of Libya who wrote a mind-numbingly boring volume of pseudo philosophy called The Green Book and who wanted to mock the White House by calling his own palace the Green House until someone tipped him off that this would mean he would look even more of a cabbage than he already was.
Then suddenly, he gave up some imaginary weapons of mass destruction and Anthony Blair, now the commercial director of World Faith, went out to fawn over him in Tripoli and he was called "statesmanlike" by the absurd Jack Straw and then he was invited to Paris by the even more absurd Nicolas Sarkozy where he right royally made the French president look like a twat by behaving in an extremely unstatesmanlike way.
And now -- bingo -- Sarkozy has done it again. This time it's Bashar al-Assad, another presumed "sponsor of world terror" - this twaddle comes from Washington, of course -- who will (if he accepts the invitation française) be in Paris on Bastille Day to take his place in the reviewing stand at the end of the Champs Elysées. The man whom millions of Lebanese believe plotted the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri in Beirut on 14 February 2005 will thus be receiving one of France's highest honours: to stand beside the French president as he reviews his military forces.
Le Canard Enchaîné, my favourite French newspaper, carried a wonderful cartoon this week in which an extremely good likeness of Bashar asks Sarkozy and the gorgeous Carla: "What is it exactly, your 14 July?" And Carla replies: "It's the end of a tyrant." And Sarkozy, almost lost for words, then adds: "Er -- a king." Well quite. And both apply to Bashar, whose succession after his father's death in 2000 did rather suggest that Syria was now a caliphate (as Egypt will become if Uncle Hosni is succeeded by his son Gamal Mubarak). But seriously, how did Bashar, a hate-figure of the United States and an adjunct to Bush's crazed notion of the "axis of evil", get on the guest list? Sure he's been asked to attend France's spanking new "Union of the Mediterranean" (along with Ehud Olmert), but there's more to it than that.
For one thing, both he and Sarkozy smell American failure. The American disaster in Iraq -- and in Afghanistan (a movie coming to your local cinema soon) -- and its total failure to produce a peace between Israel and the Palestinians and the loss of Lebanon as its protégé (now that the pro-Syrian Hizbollah can veto America's friends in the parliamentary majority once there's a cabinet) means that France can move in among the wreckage for a second crack at le mandat français.
The tribunal to judge Hariri's murderers still does not exist and even Walid Jumblatt, my favourite Druze nihilist, has been in Saudi Arabia to ask the king to keep pushing for the court. He did the same in Washington, chatting to Bush and Gates and the rest along the same lines. But the United States has failed in the Middle East.
Bashar is thus to be allowed back into the civilised West, which Jacques Chirac once encouraged him to visit before feeling betrayed after Syria's apparent involvement in Hariri's murder. My own suspicion is that Baath party security was involved in the mass assasination, but not Bashar. Either way, it's only 17 months since Chirac's foreign minister, Philippe Douste-Blazy turned up in Beirut for the funeral of young Pierre Gemayel (assassinated, the usual fingers pointing towards Syria yet again) to announce that Chirac was "the best defender on earth of Lebanon's sovereignty". Now, it seems, Sarkozy is the best defender on earth of Syria's sovereignty. And of Bashar.
Of course, all this is presented in what I call the politics of candlelight. Olmert may meet Bashar al-Assad, the French tell us, and thus further their indirect peace talks. It's time to bring Syria in from the cold -- which is why two of Sarkozy's top henchmen have been in Damascus, buttering up the Syrian president in the hope he won't turn down the trip. France will be able to encourage Bashar to behave in Lebanon, open an embassy in Beirut, delineate the Lebanese-Syrian border, blah, blah, blah. It's a reward, too, for Bashar's support for the Doha conference which ended -- up to a point -- Lebanon's latest bout of sectarian sickness, albeit to the advantage of Sister Syria herself.
Now the Lebanese parliamentary majority is groaning about Bashar's visit. So is France's largest Jewish organisation, although not very successfully; last time the Syrian president visited Paris, it symbolically blamed him for the Nazi Holocaust of Europe's Jews, which ended well over a decade before Bashar was born. Now even that elegant old butterfly from Libya is objecting to the "Union of the Mediterranean". Yes, the "statesmanlike" panjandrum Ghaddafi denounced the whole shebang with the immortal words: "We are not dogs to whom they throw bones." Sarkozy should have guessed. This was, after all, the same Ghaddafi who turned up at a non-aligned summit in old Yugoslavia -- this from a former Serbian diplomat friend of mine -- with a camel and a white horse, the first to provide milk, the second to ride through the streets of Belgrade en route to the conference. He got to keep the camel. The horse was banned.
But that's how things go when you see yourself as a "guide" -- Ghaddafi's description of himself; oddly the very same term used by A Hitler -- and there really is no knowing what happens to wayward folk when they climb on our wheel of fortune. We gave Kurt Waldheim an honourary knighthood, then withdrew it when we found out he had a dodgy Second World War past. We took away Ceausescu's knighthood when he was executed on Christmas Day. We loved Saddam when he tortured and killed all his communists -- when mayor of Paris, Chirac fawned over him too -- and when he invaded Iran, then hated him when he invaded Kuwait and were happy to see him hanged 17 years later.
Fear not, such a fate will not await Bashar. He will honour the downfall of the tyrant-king and he will no doubt receive economic help from France. And thus his people will not have to eat cake.
--Robert Fisk
©independent.co.uk
31 Comments so far
Show AllAriel_Sharon: "what do you think the arabs want? The destruction of israel"
What do you think the Israelis want? The Destruction of the Arabs.
Thomas, From my experience it's all pervasive amongst whites. The arabs are blamed for all of french society's ills. I rarely go a day without hearing of how the arabs live off the social system. Epithets are used in conversation without the bat of an eye. These are my first hand observations.
postdementia June 23rd, 2008 2:44 pm
Question....who is using rascism against the Muslims/Arabs in France? Not a rhetorical question.
"I know it sucks not to be able to talk nonsense about israel without being challenged,"
postdementia ... the zionist turd 'ariel-sharon' posts frequently on this board trying to provoke reactions ...he is a troll ... ignore this shithead ... dont waste your energy.
For instance examine this -- "How many arabs have been tortured to death by jewish mobs, " .... 90% of the worlds population (ok i pulled those stats outa my a__ but you get the picture) would think he is referring to the Palestinians suffering under jewish rule but he is talking of ONE incident in all of France against some jewish person. Apparently all of us need to be sufficiently outraged by this incident or else we are anti-semite or so goes this fools thinking. Ignore him.
I was aware of one incident in the last 5 years, that must have been the one. Like I said, I go by what I see. The more I see of your posts, the more I realize you're infected with a hateful racist ideology.
Elm, what am I advocating, and what are YOU advocating? I want nothing more then security for israel, what do you think the arabs want?
The destruction of israel... how can you compare the two??
Well presence you know I love bears and would like to feed them and keep them safe.
Post, you seriously don't know what I'm talking about? Check this out:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20060226-1536-france-anti-semit...
This was last year. Just google "jew tortured france gang" and look for articles in 2006. There are tons and not on frontpage...
Ariel_Sharon: I really don't have a problem with you posting here but frankly, much of what you say is based in emotion and misconceptions. And of course, like every other moronic right-wing Israel-firster that posts here, you respond with nothing but insults. But whatever. I have never, ever seen you post anything that is based on fact. In fact, I have a really hard time relating to people who "Unquestionably support Israel" and repeat the Zionist lies over and over. Come on dude, think for yourself and look what's REALLY happening. Until you take a good hard look at what you're advocating, you'll be doomed to continue in your small minded thinking at the expense of your humanity.
I can only report on what I personally witness here in France and while I'm unaware of the incident you're referring to, "Ariel", the racism against arabs is an everyday thing. I've yet to see any comparable anti-semitism. No disrespect intended, but I honestly think you should get your info from somewhere other than Commentary or Front Page.
Elm, I'm here to break up your circlejerk, you poor baby. I know it sucks not to be able to talk nonsense about israel without being challenged, but its not going to happen.
My job? I actually have a real job, unlike most of you.
Ariel_Sharon: Why are you posting here? There's NO way that you're going to convince anyone at CD of the lies and misconceptions that you keep peddling here. It's probably your job to do so, but you're wasting your time here. Move along.
Zamboni_fahrer: You take the fact that I criticize Fisk Personally? Why? I didn't attack you... nor am I really attacking Fisk. I just think that the quality of his writing has gone down hill significantly in the past few years. He's way too entrenched with the ruling class now and has lost his objectivity. I don't think Fisk needs you to defend him.
Post, really? Anti arabism is bigger in france? How many arabs have been tortured to death by jewish mobs, as happened to that jewish guy a year back? How many violent attacks on arabs?
Black and arab muslims run rampant in some parts of france, which are now under de facto sharia law. Sarko is an idiot for many reasons, but he's if anything too weak on the issues of illegal immigration and the threat islam poses to french culture. The italians have woken up, take a look at some of their new leaders!
Let's hope france will come along.
As an American living in France I can't help but take issue with pro-Sarko sentiments. He's been in power for a year and is already widely despised. His approval rating hovers between 25 and 35 percent. He is viewed as a joke and a failure as President. As for anti-semitism in France it is very minor compared to the anti-arab racism that is ubiquitous. Of course this kind of racism is the inevitable result of colonialism. When the colonialists are pushed out by the resistance movement ala France in Algeria resentment runs high. The pied noir in France have never gotten over being driven out of Morocco and Algeria. Sarko was elected largely by pandering to this resentment while adopting much of the language of noted nationalist, racist anti-semite Jean-Marie Le Pen.
The middle east was better off under french rule. Lebenon, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Syria, etc etc, were all better off.
Viva Le Sarko!!!
Read the title " today's despots is tomorrows statesman" and sighed , we don't have to worry about that title coming true here, with the shrub we will never have to worry about him becoming the latter.
Fisk is a better reporter than 98% of the 'profession'. He actually reports from the ground instead of rehashing talking points.
Yap, do you work for the Chinese government or what?
Although I have greatly admired Fisk and his steadfast reporting from the ME over decades, he does seem to be going soft in the noodle.
He's flailing about... speculating upon who put the hit on Hariri. He appears at first to believe that it was Bashar, but instead of directly stating so, couches it in terms of "millions of Lebanese believe..." only later to state that it was "likely Baath Party Security".
If the hit were to be posted on the odds boards in Vegas, you can bet the "safe money" would be placed on the CIA. Very little escapes their slimy footprint.
Safiyyah-- "Robert Fisk's attitude of always turning leaders in out of imperial-sync colonized countries into 'monsters' while not being able to do the exact same with the leaders of imperialist countries and their Third World puppets really is tiresome nonsense."
I totally concur. These days he sounds more and more like a disgruntled colonial 'journalist' who is terribly upset his imperial masters are 'behaving badly'.
Qaddafi is a showman plain and simple and can NEVER be a war criminal like Bush-Blair-Cheney-Brown-Chirac-Sarkozy and gang.
As for this gem by yap -- "The Chinese have lived in Tibet for at least 800 years, " -- sorry pal ... no ones buying this bull. The Chinese have been controlling or ruling the ethnic Tibetans for 800 years ... like the English did to the Irish !!
Sarko smells like a Mossad asset to me....By way of deception, thou shalt do war.
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/j120902.html
Robert Fisk's attitude of always turning leaders in out of imperial-sync colonized countries into 'monsters' while not being able to do the exact same with the leaders of imperialist countries and their Third World puppets really is tiresome nonsense.
Hey Ariel Sharon ! The day that WHITE & BLACK America depart their occupation of the United States of America will be the day that you white folks have any ligitimate claims that China is today an occupation Army in Tibet.
What is the justification for the USA to occupay Red Indian LANDS ? The Chinese have lived in Tibet for at least 800 years, while the white & black occupiers of Red Indian LAND for a mere less than 100 years. We have more ligitimacy to live in Tibet than you have any right to occupy Red Indian Land.
Fisk fails to answer the more important question: will France allow that dangerous felon Martha Stewart into the country, or will she have to repress and kill a buncha people first?
Hey, Elmyserio-
Fisk is a great journalist. His many articles over the years offer a refreshing and informed perspective on Middle East politics--and are FAR better reading than your small-minded, irrelevant ad-hominem postings are! :-D
Fisk has lost his way. He used to be quite bold in truth telling but now, it seems as though he has his tail between his legs and is kissing the ass of the empire. Fisk has no place at CD if you ask me.
The great and admirable Fisk lapses into thrashing wildly and his prose slides toward purple on the issue of his beloved Lebanon. Whatever Bashad's involvement may have been in the deaths of the Lebanese political figures (and Fisk seems to contradict himself at the end), he is being invited to the reviewing stand on Bastille Day as part of Sarkozy's push to restore France's influence in the Arab world.
I agree with the reasons Fisk outlines - but also with a reader's comment that representatives of former colonies should be very very careful about accepting such honours as the one Sarkozy's offering Syria's president.
One additional observation: Israel and Syria are currently engaged in some sort of negotiations and France doesn't want to lose its role as a mediator with a whole lot to gain. But this is also an important part of Sarkozy's balancing act. He is considered in some quarters to be overly sympathetic to the Israeli government (hard to live down his maternal Jewish ancestry among people who equate all Jews with Zionism - but then there is the appointment of a Jewish foreign minister not known to be exactly critical of actions and policies of the Zionist state in Lebanon and vis a vis the Palestinians). So Sarko makes nice with the Arab sceptics by parading Bashad, Gaddafy and whoever else it takes, as France's great friends.
What else would you expect of him?
Yap, I can understand being upset about france's behavior towards china. If it makes you feel any better, its probably just more politics. Sarko wants to make it clear he's with the US, and this might be one way to do so. China has every right to defend its territorial integrity, though I don't know if occupying tibet really does this.
The fact is, the attack on tibet was revenge for the way tibetans treated the long marchers. I'm not totally unsympatheitc to china, but you guys should be honest about this.
Sarkozy ! The self righteous arsehole who flashed his anti-China stance and his boycott of the Beijing Games. The People's Republic of China's government did not invite Sarkozy to attend the Games; so he was the un-invited Frenchman who declared that he will not attend the Games. WHO INVITED HIM ?
The french might be on their way back and I say, good for them.
France has one of the greatest cultures of all time, and its about time they stood up for the values of france and stopped letting themselves be marginalized both in the world and at home. As a jewish person I of course have mixed feelings about france. There is more hate crimes against jews there then in iran... by leaps and bounds in fact. But france is fighting back against this image and trying to become relevant again.
GO SARKO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fisk forgets one thing.
When leaving Syria in 1946, the French shelled Damascus for three days as a reminder of the colonial past.
Bullet holes left by French troops still grace the roof of the souk leading to the Umayyad Mosque.
It's Bashad who should be ashamed to accept honors from the French.