Bernard Kouchner has an op-ed in the International Herald Tribune in which he explains why he went to Iraq and what France wants to do in Iraq. He writes that France wants to be a mediator and to help the Americans succeed in Iraq not only because America is France’s ally, but also because it is in the interest of France to do so. Sugary excerpt:
What can France do to help this ravaged country recover hope? First, it can be modest. No one imagines that we have a magic formula. But as one Iraqi official said when I asked him what France could do, "It can offer a fresh look." Another official added, "Restore our self-respect."
Everyone knows that France did not support the coalition's intervention in 2003. Although the invasion ended a brutal dictatorship, the methods used to build a secure and democratic Iraq have failed. It is time to start anew. There can be no lasting military solution to this crisis. The solution has to be political. The Iraqis themselves, including those most hostile to the American presence, may not want the foreign troops to leave immediately, but a withdrawal must nevertheless be planned, in consultation with the Iraqi authorities. At the same time, a broad-based government of national unity must be established. France is prepared to act as mediator in this endeavor.
Yes, France can help to provide a fresh look. It can do so because it did not take part in the 2003 intervention and because it is bound to Iraq by longstanding ties of friendship and because it has a broad spectrum of contacts with all of the country's communities. And it can do so because we are the allies - sometimes troublesome, as true friends are - of the Americans.
I wonder if France can really help the US in Iraq by simply serving as a mediator and whether mediation can be effective in this case given the fact it would probably view suspiciously since it is instigated by another Western country. I like and respect Kouchner very much, but I think that his time as foreign minister will at least tell us whether idealist rebels can make good foreign ministers especially in times when inaction may be less dangerous than action, but still objectionable. On the subject of Kouchner, he had to apologize to Al-Maliki, the Prime Minister of Iraq, for calling for his ouster in an interview in Newsweek.
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