France Declares Its Own War on Terrorism

It is no exaggeration to assert that throughout much of the Cold War, France seemed almost as determined as the Soviet Union was to keep America’s military power in check. 

This is why it came as such a surprise when France enlisted in President George W. Bush’s coalition of the willing to invade Afghanistan to avenge the al-Qaeda attacks of 9/11. It is also noteworthy that France followed up its participation in this coalition by rejoining the U.S.-dominated NATO just last year – after a 43-year estrangement. 

These two developments signaled its intent to formally give up the Gallic notion of leading a European military organization to counter America’s unrivaled military power in the aftermath of the Cold War. Now it is arguable that this tortured Franco-American military alliance has come full circle – with France becoming the first nation to join the U.S. in formally declaring war on terrorism:

We are at war with al-Qaida.

(French Prime Minister Francois Fillon, Associated Press, July 27, 2010)

Interestingly enough, though, it did not take a 9/11-style terrorist attack, or one similar to the 7/7 attack in London, or even a terrorist attack on French soil to incite this declaration of war.  

Instead, all it took was the kidnapping (in late-April) and subsequent killing of a French humanitarian worker by al-Qaeda cohorts in Northwest Africa (Mali).   

And France is putting its military where its mouth is. Because less than 24 hours after President Nicolas Sarkozy vowed that the killers will “not go unpunished,” France launched the kind of retaliatory strikes at the suspected base camp of those responsible that America has been launching at al-Qaeda base camps in Pakistan for years….

It’s important to make that kind of announcement. I think it’s made of the same stuff as former U.S. President George W. Bush’s tough line on al-Qaida.

(Associated Press quoting Francois Gere, head of the French Institute of Strategic Analysis, July 27, 2010)

Welcome to the fight France. Just don’t repeat the U.S. mistake of conflating your right to launch strategic military strikes in defense of your country with some moral obligation to build al-Qaeda’s North African base camps into a thriving democracy.