Tuesday, February 11, 2003

posted 2/11/2003 01:41:00 PM by Daniel   0 comments

More ULTIMATE IRONY from France and Germany as they skewer NATO.

Three of the 19 NATO countries, France, Germany, and Belgium, have vetoed an official request from NATO member Turkey for military defense assistance, thereby plunging the NATO alliance into a crisis which might well destroy it.

That's fine by me. Good riddance to NATO, which long ago outlived any possible useful purpose and now just sucks up money and troops and equipment from the United States.

But what I find really amazing is the stupidity of the French and German actions. Is this any way for them to head off U.S. military action?

Turkey, with a new Islamic government and much popular opposition to an Iraqi invasion, had been dragging its feet in acquiescing to U.S. requests to use airbases and launch military strikes from Turkish territory. Now Turkey has been spat upon and publicly betrayed by France and Germany. How is that likely to sit with Turkish public opinion?

France and Germany have just solidified support for the U.S. in Turkey, a critical front-line nation. What kind of masterful diplomatic maneuver is that?

When so many French and German actions are so consistently counterproductive, you almost have to wonder whether they secretly do want the United States to invade Iraq...