France: Our Mistake ... Pre-emptive War OK

France, America's erstwhile ally and recent antagonist, could be doing an about-face on its national nuclear policy.

Jacques Chirac, formerly seen as too pro-American and now seen as anti-American, is reportedly hinting at making a speech in which he will announce that, should France feel threatened by weapons of mass destruction, it might strike first.

This was originally reported in the French paper Libération. Chirac's government has not completely denied the article, only saying that its policy of "force de frappe" - deterrent against regional powers threatening with WMD - is still in effect.

However, Britain's Independent writes that Libération quoted "senior military sources," who "said this policy was under review and a new position would be expressed."

So, is Chirac coming around to George Bush's point of view, or is there something else here? Is it really possible that Chirac will admit he was wrong in opposing the U.S., Britain, Australia and dozens of other countries regarding Iraq and the threat it posed?

Not likely.

Some say that Chirac is merely bowing to national criticism that he is soft on WMD, as hinted at in a speech by France's prime minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin.

There are also murmurs in the French military that France is wasting 10 percent of its budget on nukes that, according to current policy, will never be used. Why spend another 3 billion euros to modernize?

The former head of the French institute of higher defense studies, Gen. Bernard Norlain, agrees. He told the Independent that a shift in doctrine was inevitable. "We have been working under the concept of non-use and deterrence," he said. "We said, 'This weapon is not designed to be used.' Now, faced with a potential enemy that is quite irrational, we are going to have to reverse that concept."

Hindsight is indeed 20/20.

Editor's note:
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