Why France Was So Keen to Attack Libya

Hudson New York ^ | March 23, 2011 | Soeren Kern

[george76]

Even before allied forces unleashed a "shock and awe" barrage of cruise missile attacks against Libya on March 19, French President Nicolas Sarkozy was quick to take the credit...

Sarkozy's newfound concern for Libyan democracy contrasts sharply from only three years ago, when Sarkozy welcomed Gaddafi with open arms during an extravagant five-day state visit to France. On that occasion in December 2007, Gaddafi breezed into Paris in his Bedouin robes, accompanied by an entourage of 400 servants, five airplanes, a camel and 30 female bodyguards, and then proceeded to pitch his heated tent on the grounds of the palatial Hôtel de Marigny, just across the street from the Elysée Palace.

.....

Sarkozy's sudden zeal for the cause of democracy in Libya comes as his popularity is at record lows just thirteen months before the first round of the 2012 presidential election. With polls showing that Sarkozy is the least popular president since the founding of the Fifth Republic in 1958, he is betting that French voters will appreciate his efforts in Libya to place France at the center of the world stage and reinforce what Charles de Gaulle once famously called "a certain idea of France" as a nation of exceptional destiny.

Further, Sarkozy's main rival is not Gaddafi, but rather Marine Le Pen, the charismatic new leader of the far-right National Front party in France. A new opinion poll published by Le Parisien newspaper on March 8 has Le Pen, who took over from her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, in January, winning the first round of next year's presidential election.

The survey gives Le Pen 23%, two percentage points ahead of both Sarkozy and Socialist leader Martine Aubry.

[Perdogg]

John Bachelor advanced this theory on his nationally syndicated radio show.

[diverteach]

“Why France Was So Keen to Attack Libya “

2 reasons

1) They’re sick of mooselimbs
2) and maybe number 1 is they knew oblunder wasn’t gonna lead anything bigger than a focus group. Oh, and he’s a muzzie too.

[JoeProBono]

[JoeProBono]

[gandalftb]

Illegal immigration of Arabs is a key reason, France has a sizable Arab population that wants political power and riots have happened many times.

Also, France wants stable oil imports from Libya. Qaddafi was too erratic to bargain with, constantly threatening to cut off supplies, which he did to Italy for a short while.

France has wanted revenge for the troubles in Chad, look up the "Toyota War". Finally, there are substantial deposits of uranium in the S of Libya.

All told this is a popular action for someone needing re-election.

[Retired Greyhound]

Oil and immigration.

Libya is a Europe problem, not a US problem.

[nkycincinnatikid]

“reinforce what Charles De Gaulle called the certain idea of france”
Vietnam, OOPS!
Algeria, OOps!
Ivory Coast, superbe!
OOPPS, Merde!
Quebec, Superbe!

[Moose4]

So Sarko is wagging zee poodle, it seems.

}:-)4

[chuckee]

So we decided to join a war to protect France and Europe from the threat of illegal immigration while this administration lobbies to legitimize illegal immigration at home.

[TSgt]

"a certain idea of France" as a nation of exceptional destiny.

[rmlew]

The Gaullist Traitor Sarkozy wants to pull another one on the sheeple of France? No kidding.
Last election, he pretended to be a law and order candidate willing to face the problem of Islamic Violence. At the same time, he proposed the Mediterranean Union, fusing the EU with the largely Arab Levant and North Africa. Today, Sarkozy is showing his strength against Muslims by helping the Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb overthrow Qaddafi.

[Niuhuru]

It could be that Ghaddafi got too close to Carla.