"Twenty-three years ago, France split the West. President Jacques Chirac refused to join the United States and Britain in their invasion of Iraq. His foreign minister Dominique de Villepin eloquently rejected the rationale for war in the United Nations. Paris tried to assemble a coalition to defend international law."
"Chirac was vindicated within a few years, although the usual anti-French suspects in the British and US press never apologised. Who now thinks that the 2003 Gulf War was a) justified or b) well-conducted? Not Donald Trump - not then, not now."
"President Emmanuel Macron has declined the opportunity to be a Chirac II. In a TV address on Tuesday evening, he said that the Iranian regime bore the main responsibility for the conflict but criticised the US and Israel for taking military action contrary to international law, something we can't accept."
France's response to US military strikes against Iran differs significantly from its 2003 stance under President Jacques Chirac, who famously refused to join the American and British invasion of Iraq. Chirac's foreign minister Dominique de Villepin eloquently opposed the war at the United Nations, and France attempted to assemble a coalition defending international law. Despite subsequent vindication when the Iraq War proved unjustified and poorly executed, the American and British media never apologized for their attacks on France. Under current President Emmanuel Macron, France has taken a more ambiguous position, criticizing both the Iranian regime and US-Israeli military action as contrary to international law, but stopping short of outright condemnation. This represents a departure from Chirac's principled opposition.
Read at www.thelocal.fr
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