François Hollande - "We will wage war and it will be pitiless..."

[DemocratSinceBirth]

[Wilms]

1. Works everytime. n/t

[tabasco]

24. Worked with Nazi Germany; worked with Imperial Japan;

worked with North Korea when it attacked South Korea; worked with Pol Pot (thank you Vietnam).

When you attack the actual enemy, rather than wage war for money, it generally works out quite well.

[Wilms]

25. Spot the difference between the two sets. n/t

[tabasco]

26. Justified vs. unjustified military action.

A competent national command authority, such as we have now, will make that call based on the evidence.

A corrupt administration, such as the Bush/Cheney cabal, makes the call to enrich billionaires.

I'm glad we agree that many U.S. military actions have been justified.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

3. Without France we might still be a colony.

EOM

[Agnosticsherbet]

4. Perfectly understandable rection.

And we are part of NATO.

[Imajika]

5. Yeah, right...

Who are they going to wage war on, and with what resources?

If he means an internal war against those suspected of terrorism, then maybe. I can see that.

For anything external all he can really do is add more forces to our current ISIS bombing campaign.

[TeddyR]

6. A few more bombs

On ISIS can't hurt.

[Imajika]

16. I am fine with putting bombs on ISIS...

But this statement of waging war without pity is silly.

Unless they plan to nuke someone, they don't have the force projection to do a whole lot in the places these terrorist attacks were likely hatched. It isn't as if the French can just drop a couple divisions of infantry and armor into Syria, Iraq, etc. It takes a heck of a lot to support even 1 combat division, and even if they could do it for some period of time (we'd probably help), who would they attack exactly?

This is the same problem we had with AQ and the Taliban in Afghanistan. Who do you attack once your enemy bleeds into the population (that is either sympathetic to them or just too scared to say anything)? Russia is bombing fairly indiscriminately in Syria, but they care even less about civilian casualties that we do. And even that will have diminishing returns.

I think France is likely to become more of a police state, they will likely do a 180 on the refugees and refuse to accept many more, and far right parties will probably gain more traction. That is how I see it playing out anyway.

[840high]

17. I hope they do.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

7. It's not as if France is devoid of military assets or prowess.

EOM

[cherokeeprogressive]

11. France is indeed a formidable power and French military personnel are indeed brave.

One reason the world doesn't recognize it is historically they know when to make use of that power and when not to.

[Imajika]

14. You gotta be kidding?

The French have been involved in all manner of military adventures, especially in Africa.

No, they do not use their military as judiciously as you may believe.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

18. It's funny how we agree on some things and disagree on others...

If you adjust for size the French have been every bit as military adventurous as we are, maybe more.

[tabasco]

20. Like attacking Russia?

Good point.

[Sebass1271]

8. With reason

That country has been through a lot this year

[DemocratSinceBirth]

9. Worst act of violence on French territory since WW ll.

EOM

[roamer65]

10. This is the WW1 "archduke" moment folks.

It's the start of a larger war.

[Kilgore]

12. Well put

And a good analogy.

[liberaltrucker]

13. History has shown that it's NOT a good idea to piss off the French.

nt

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

15. Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster.

Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you. Friedrich Nietzsche


“What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or in the holy name of liberty or democracy?” ― Mahatma Gandhi

[ucrdem]

19. He said that live at the Bataclan, where a hundred had been killed,

but what he said in the Elysée speech pictured in the OP is this:

pour leurs familles, pour les blessés, nous devons faire preuve de compassion et de solidarité. Mais nous devons également faire preuve d’unité et de sang froid.

http://www.lest-eclair.fr/378231/article/2015-11-14/attaques-a-paris-la-declaration-integrale-de-francois-hollande

"For the families, for the wounded, we need to show compassion and solidarity. But we must equally show unity and keep cool."

He needs to talk tough right now, and he's going to get pressured to start bombing the banlieues of Paris, but I don't think he will. For one thing the banlieues helped elect him, and for another, he knows better.

[hifiguy]

21. I suspect that the French response will be

a very strong one indeed. And that it will be done without Chimp-style chest-thumping false bravado.

[tishaLA]

22. he actually said "combat" or "fight," not "war"

I know it sounds like I'm playing with semantics, but "Nous allons mener le combat, il sera impitoyable" isn't the same as "guerre"

[renate]

27. good point

That's not playing with semantics at all.

Merci!

[ucrdem]

23. Hollande says Paris attacks an ‘act of war’ by IS group

Latest update : 2015-11-14

Speaking from the Elysée presidential palace the morning after France saw its worst day of violence since World War II, Hollande said the attacks were “an act of war" committed by the Islamic State group’s "terrorist army”.

The French president said the atrocities were, “against France, against the values that we defend everywhere in the world, against what we are: A free country that means something to the whole planet."

France, he added, "will be triumph over the barbarism” of the IS militant group and “will act by all means anywhere, inside or outside the country".

Hollande declared three days of national mourning in the wake of the attacks.

Hollande announced a state of emergency on Friday night, as France reinstituted checks at its borders.

The Socialist president said he would address parliament on Monday in an extraordinary meeting.

http://www.france24.com/en/20151114-paris-attacks-president-hollande-act-war-islamic-state-group-terrorism-france

[mwrguy]

28. So they will keep bombing people in Africa and the middle east

and wonder why they are hated.