should america listen to france more?

Question

Seeing how france was totally right about iraq not having wmd and felt no need to invade to find imaginary weaponry, should americans be listening to france more. france also said americans would be bogged down in a guerrilla war, also true. love or hate france, bottom line france was right, america wrong. we know americans love france even the statue of liberty an american symbol comes from france. ( if you did not live in america before the runup to the war you did not see american propaganda and knew iraq could not have wmd, why did americans swallow the propaganda )

Answer 1

As a fellow member of the UN Permanent Security Council, yes. And apart from the decision - or should I say "insistence" of the US to invade Iraq, the US government does, in fact, listen to France, along with its other allies, on a very wide range of issues of mutual interest and international concern.

The problem has been that the Bush administration did not listen to, or even consult, its natural allies, regarding the Iraq invasion. That's not to say that France was ignored by the United States altogether. Certainly, the intelligence agencies around the world have cooperated pretty constantly, before and after 9/11. The French and American governments have worked together and pretty much in sync on other international crises (Haiti, Lebanon, Horn of Africa) where the French have valuable historical input.

Now the good news is that the Bush administration has stopped blaming France for its refusal to endorse the Iraq invasion. It always seemed a little unfair to me when two other permanent members of the UNSC - China and Russia - would have vetoed the second resolution anyway, and the US would never have been able to secure enough votes among non-permanent members to get the resolution passed, turning a French "yes" vote or abstention into merely a token gesture - that France got all the flack. Perhaps there was a feeling that France and the US have supported each other from the American Revolution onwards, that any variation on that theme was a slap in the face?

Still, the relationship between the two countries is too deep for anything but a temporary stalemate. French people have always decried McDonalds - not because it's an American chain, but because it's fast food (anethema to the land which invented haute cuisine); but there have been no closures of the many Franco-American institutes around France or America. There are still a lot of people in France who are old enough to remember WW2 and would defend the US to the teeth. There are still a lot of people in France who love real US cultural contributions (jazz lovers unite!) that they can overlook political mis-steps. Most Americans still appreciate the French contributions to their country - the "freedom fries"/"ban French products" movement barely registered in terms of trade between the two nations.

Perhaps the relationship seems like it is not as strong as it once was, but it is still intrinsically stronger than the relationship between the United States and every other country in the world except Great Britain. It's just that most of the cooperation is behind the scenes, so the American and French people are mostly unaware unless they make it their business to be aware.

Answer 2

No. France had just sold then new chemical weapons clothing in 2002. Why? Unless they were making or going to make these weapons? In order to have enough WMDs to do damage all you need is a 10 gallon sized barrel. We were patrolling the no fly zone. And being shot at mind you (our planes). The biggest reason we are bogged down in this war is because Iran is fighting on both sides. They are perpetually helping the conflict increase. Why don't you help out by sending your Armies in and help securing the borders? Has France lost all the fighting men? The great history of France fighting on the side of freedom seems to me to be lost. This is the first true democratically elected government in Iraq in a long time. Are you on the terrorist insurgent side or the democratic goverment side? Do you enjoy seeing the brown people killing eachother? Prove France was right go over all the documents and the snads of Iraq with a fine tooth comb. America is the only country in history to fight for ideals. What are Frances ideals? You helped us with our freedom yes, but for what reason. To weaken your enemy= England.

Answer 3

France and the EU are trying to capture the international commodities market. They want the Euro to replace the dollar as the international currency. Such a move would cause devastation on the U.S. economy, and the value of the dollar would crash. It's the international currency exchange that supports the dollar's value. Since the U.S. went off the gold standard, it's the international trade that has supported it.
Currently there is in excess of 2700 trillion U.S. dollars in foreign reserves used in the international currency market. If the Euro replaced the dollar, all those trillions would have to be bought back by the USA. That much money doesn't exist in the U.S. treasury. It would be the end of the USA as you know it.

Answer 4

Being appropriate??? while Spain and France became their backs on the Iraq warfare they're overtaken via the Muslims, Spain is basically now after those previous couple years getting a quit fire is being appropriate?? Why would we hear to France in any case, they're no freind of ours!

Answer 5

Ever read the book "An End to Evil" by two Asian dude who manipulated the United State into the Iraq war?

They asked that the US trash France and the United Nation

Their names = Perle and Canadian Frum

Answer 6

America should listen to itself and do whatever is right to protect the American people...just like the French should do whatever is good for themselves. I am American and I have lived in France for 5 years et je pense pas que les Francais et les Americains aient de memes valeurs. (Hope you speak French) Africans and Arabs I met in France were not very proud of living in there, which proves France has its bad habits too ;-) ...Moreover, look at Rwanda and some other African countries, that doesn't make France proud of itself...does it?

Answer 7

Our own advisors to the President told him what we are now seeing-- would happen---none of that mattered to him and still doesn't !! France does not have any insight or forsight in this or any other matter--- just major ego that continually shoots off its mouth with nothing at all to back it all up !! They would have created a reason not to be involved in Iraq if the particular reasons used were not available --because France is all talk and no action-- they are a common world class joke on the subject !!

What screams and yells then runs like hell ?? The French Army !!

Answer 8

How about you ask France about their dealings with Saddam?

France briefed Iraq: report
Sunday 27 April 2003, 2:30 PM

France gave Saddam Hussein's regime regular reports on its dealings with US officials, The Sunday Times reported, quoting files it had found in the wreckage of the Iraqi foreign ministry.

The intelligence reports showing French assistance to Saddam ongoing in the late winter of 2002 helped explain why France refused to deal harshly with Iraq and blocked U.S. moves at the United Nations.
"No wonder the French are opposing us," one U.S. intelligence official remarked after illegal sales to Iraq of military and dual-use parts, originating in France, were discovered early last year before the war began.
That official was careful to stipulate that intelligence reports did not indicate whether the French government had sanctioned or knew about the parts transfers. The French company at the beginning of the pipeline remained unidentified in the reports.
France's government tightly controls its aerospace and defense firms, however, so it would be difficult to believe that the illegal transfers of equipment parts took place without the knowledge of at least some government officials.
Iraq's Mirage F-1 fighter jets were made by France's Dassault Aviation. Its Gazelle attack helicopters were made by Aerospatiale, which became part of a consortium of European defense companies.
"It is well-known that the Iraqis use front companies to try to obtain a number of prohibited items," a senior Bush administration official said before the war, refusing to discuss Iraq's purchase of French warplane and helicopter parts.

Answer 9

Who says they didn't have WMD. They had plenty of time to move them out!!
We dont' need to listen to France.
At one time maybe America loved France but remember we use to be friends with Saddam too. Wow time can change so much.

Answer 10

Because that's what Americans do!

And maybe the first answerer should ask who was backing Saddam when he gassed the northern Iraqis and when he became such a ruthless leader and still a good friend of America..

And yes the Americans should listen to the world more.