Is Nicolas Sarkozy the 'new George W. Bush'?
Jokes about French cowardice seem out of date after the French president's muscular moves in Libya and Ivory Coast
In 2003, France's opposition to George W. Bush's decision to invade Iraq so infuriated U.S. conservatives that they renamed the innocent french fry. But "freedom fries" have been off the menu since Nicolas Sarkozy became France's president. Now, the French are leading the charge in Libya and Ivory Coast, and it's the French leader who's getting the Bush-like reputation as a foreign policy cowboy. Is Sarkozy taking over where Bush left off?
Yes, Sarkozy is the new Bush: First, Sarkozy went after Moammar Gadhafi in Libya, says Alex Spillius in The Telegraph, and then he plowed into Ivory Coast. The man clearly has a "growing appetite for muscular intervention." And Sarkozy sounds a lot like Bush when he justifies his actions, by speaking of "France's role as a shaper of history and a protector of liberty and democracy. Who is running the freedom agenda now?"
"Nicolas Sarkozy is the new George W. Bush"
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sarkozy is a politician, not a cowboy: With President Obama stepping back and Sarkozy leading the way overseas, says Matt Frei at BBC News, nobody's calling the French "cheese eating surrender monkeys" now. The truth is, France never was "as lily-livered as its opponents made out." But Sarkozy's transformation probably has more to do with "domestic woes" than with quenching a thirst for foreign adventure. His polling numbers are down with "an election looming," and restoring France's "nostalgia for grandeur" might save him.
"France's new-found appetite for foreign adventure"
Either way, it is a welcome change: No doubt about it — "France is a nation transformed," says Jonathan Kay in Canada's National Post. This is the "foreign-policy version of the 97-pound weakling who becomes king of the beach after going in for a few months of Charles Atlas." And whatever the reason for Sarkozy's remaking of France into "ass-kicker-in-chief," the "world is a better place" with another powerful nation showing a willingness to "confront dictators."
"France's new stereotype: The West's ass-kicker-in-chief"
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Today's political cartoons - May 5, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - annoying noises, gag orders, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 highly educational cartoons about student protests
Cartoons Artists take on apolitical camping, the National Guard, and more
By The Week US Published
-
French schools and the scourge of teenage violence
Talking Point Gabriel Attal announces 'bold' intervention to tackle rise in violent incidents
By The Week UK Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published