Stan187

I suppose troung, but the Israelis are not the FACI. You're dealing with a more rational actor. Regardless of people's biases, that is a fact. On the other hand, the French (at this point) trying to act tough in the Middle East is like a cat trying to meow a dog away.

troung

The USS Liberty and accidental shelling/bombing of UN positions in Lebanon from the 1980s until 2006. The IDF has a lot of accidents. And they haven't just buzzed French troops but also a German ship recently.

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To sit down with these men and deal with them as the representatives of an enlightened and civilized people is to deride ones own dignity and to invite the disaster of their treachery - General Matthew Ridgway

Stan187

I'm aware of the German ship. The Liberty is hard to make a call on, accounts are divided on both sides. The UN people in Lebanon, at least recently, got it because Hizballah was operating from their positions. If they don't feel its their duty to at least make sure that Hizballah don't come right by their compound and launch rockets, I feel that its on their heads that they got screwed. At least try to inform the Israelis so that they don't bomb you. But they just jotted it down in their observation booklet and kept on with business.

Officer of Engineers

That was my officer that you're speaking of. And the Israelis were aware of their position and even gave assurances that targetting would stop. We know the rest. It was Friendly Fire. Leave it at that.

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Chimo

Confed999

Nope. My point was about "allies", and avoiding doing what should be done in support of them. They, Russia, and others, are walking hand in hand with those even you see as the enemy...

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No man is free until all men are free - John Hossack
I agree completely with this Administration’s goal of a regime change in Iraq-John Kerry
even if that enforcement is mostly at the hands of the United States, a right we retain even if the Security Council fails to act-John Kerry
He may even miscalculate and slide these weapons off to terrorist groups to invite them to be a surrogate to use them against the United States. It’s the miscalculation that poses the greatest threat-John Kerry

Officer of Engineers

It is my honour and privledge to know that you were watching my back. I have to make it down to see you all ... and if I can swing it so that the Brigadier and the Captain are along with us, I want to take them on a tour of Canada and the US.

It is very easy to get me to rant about the UN. Just that right now, nothing comes to mind.

Bluesman

Don't worry - current events will provide your material presently, I have no doubt.

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"The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it, and if one finds the prospect of a long war intolerable, it is natural to disbelieve in the possibility of victory."
- George Orwell

-{SpoonmaN}-

Volumes and volumes of it, but in the end I guess the point everyone needs to remember that failures of the UN are the failures of its membership. And by that I mean ALL of its membership, not any one country. lol we're not help, we said we'd probably contribute at least a small niche contingent to UNFIL, and then we never sent anything. Maybe we could use the excuse that our neighbours are taking up the slack for us, I dont know.

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"I have this to say to the people of Australia: Kick me, I'm different."

Bluesman

No, y'all were right to opt out. It is a dishonorable mission, undertaken in bad faith. I'd no more want to be a part of it than a gang-rape. They're the same thing, morally, differing only in scale.

And the fact that the French are leading it is just so perfect.

Stan187

Seriously, I don't think those peacekeepers should be there. Not if they are not gonna do anything to disarm Hizballah. They're just gonna be in the way and possibly get hurt when the next bout of fighting breaks out, as it surely will.

Bluesman

CHARACTER AND WISDOM. This guy is one of the best additions we've picked up in awhile.

Seriously, it's like the UN is almost HOPEFUL the IDF will schwack the blue helmets again, and given the behavior of the contingent that's there now, their inaction, and Israel's imperative to defend itself, it's almost inevitable.

Goddam' Kofi. He should be stood against a wall.

-{SpoonmaN}-

Australia has a pretty good relationship with France these days, we conduct joint Patrols in the South Pacific, personally I'm hoping for some help from the FAF in the event that things get really pear-shaped in Fiji. We have an officer exchange program with them as well, albeit only with their Forces that are stationed locally, as I said we don't have an issue on Military Co-Operation. So I doubt French command is something we're afraid of, I suspect its more to do with the myth that the ADF is over-stretched (if it's so fking overstretched then why aren't we buying more equipment and calling out reservists?), and the usual gripes you get in this country that our people are far too precious to be risked in operations that only involve saving people from other, apparently inferior countries based upon public attitude in this country. Then there's money.

Stan187

Yeah you might end up seeing that for a while as yall try to assert yourself as more of regional and world player. It usually takes a while for people to get used to the idea that if they wanna increase world standing and what not, it doesn't come free, you actually have to proverbially "do stuff".

Tell you what though, I can't think of a better ally for the US in the South Pacific. Kudos to the ADF.

Bluesman

Agree with that last bit all the way.

And {SpoonmaN}? Tell your diggers to watch their backs, and keep George Patton's warning in mind on those joint patrols, okay?

-{SpoonmaN}-

Well it's sailors but yeah I get where you're coming from I suppose, but I think your attitude on this issue isn't really fair. France did their bit in the first Gulf War, they did an awful lot to contain Lybia and they're continuing make Nothern and Western Africa a (more) stable place than it was before. France helped out in the Balkans as much as anyone else, which was of course not enough. They of course need to make a more serious committment in A-stan, something you'll probably see after the next election when the issue of people having a cry about their soldiers actually doing stuff isn't a problem anymore.
Anyway the point is that France is still a US Ally, they're just not the most steadfast because they fancy themselves as the leader of an EU that will become a new pole in world politics.
In the end, the USA would likely benefit from a poweful EU, since you can still rely on them to take your side on MOST issues.