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| Europe |
| Lack of Troop Pledges Exposes Europe |
| 2006-08-24 |
| I "fixed" the original misleading wimpy title: Troop Pledge Vexes Europe Hesitation on Lebanon Forces Tests Ability as Peacemaker Europe's difficulties in raising enough troops to enforce the cease-fire in Lebanon have exposed some hard truths that are testing the Continent's ability to serve as a global military power and Middle East peacemaker. Europe was expected to take the lead in manning a 15,000-strong force called for in the French-U.S.-brokered resolution to police the Aug. 11 truce between the Hezbollah militia and Israel. But France has since hesitated to commit a significant number of troops for the force amid concerns that they will end up fighting Hezbollah; so far Paris has offered only 400 soldiers, and Europe is having trouble raising as many ground troops as the U.N. says it needs to create a balanced force of troops from European and Muslim countries. Yesterday, European diplomats struggled again to drum up a significant contribution to the United Nations contingent. Today, French President Jacques Chirac is expected to convene a cabinet meeting during which he could commit more troops to Lebanon beyond the 400. Tomorrow, European Union foreign ministers meet with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to firm up their contributions to the peacekeeping force. |
| Posted by:Shung Phinetle2153 |
| #5 SOP35 has an interesting point...when does France become Lebanon with a true state within a state ruled by Sharia and importing rockets from Iran? |
| Posted by: AlanC 2006-08-24 14:37 |
| #4 This is also an article about the UN. The UN will not necessarily do what the US wants done, but it can do nothing without the US. It is also why the sale of that LPD to India is such a big deal. As Britain goes Euro, they are on the road to becoming the second greatest military power projector in the world. What Bush has done for our relationship with India will come to be seen as being at least as important as the GWOIF. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-08-24 13:43 |
| #3 These fools need to raise armies just to control their internal populations And get no sympathy from me. Maybe if they hadn't allowed Europistan to develop I'd feel differently. |
| Posted by: mcsegeek1 2006-08-24 13:03 |
| #2 Without American umbrella, these SOB's are virtually defenseless, which Muzzies recognize. These fools need to raise armies just to control their internal populations. France, for instance, better have sufficient armed military ready to stomp on the growing enclaves once they decide to take over the country. |
| Posted by: SOP35/Rat 2006-08-24 11:45 |
| #1 P-O-S-E-U-R-S!* *A poseur is a person who adopts the dress, speech, and/or mannerisms of a particular group or subculture generally for attaining acceptability within the group. A poseur does not often share or even understand the philosophical underpinnings of whatever group he or she identifies with, unless it is at the most trivial of levels. Most subcultures view what they regard as poseurs with varying degrees of mistrust and scorn, inauthenticity being the nadir of human expression for many such groups. |
| Posted by: Cresing Snash7547 2006-08-24 08:59 |