Of course, this is not my real name. I must use anonymity due to my job. I am not in the government nor does my job give me any special information. Anything I say here will not violate any confidences. But it might lead to some embarrassment.
As for my name and e-mail, that is another story. All I will say, it has something to do with DC United and MLS Cup '99.
As the Iraqi crisis reaches a breaking point, we hear cries of "no blood for oil" answered by cries of "Munich" and "no appeasement." And will Munich resonates strongly throughout the years, it should not be taken to far. All analogies ultimately fail. No matter how similar the situations, there are always differences. Saddam Hussein is not Adolph Hitler and Iraq is not Germany. Yet the situation in Iraq looks so much like the Rhineland crisis, that one cannot help look to the past, for insight to the future.
In 1918 Germany agreed as a condition for ending Word War One to demilitarize the Rhineland region in order to assure the security of France and Belgium. France was given the right to occupy the region, and certain "bridgeheads" on the east bank of the Rhine, in case Germany failed to live up to her obligations. This was formalized in the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty was punitive, but Germany for the first time in a century was given the opportunity to develop into a non-militarized, liberal state.
When Hitler took power, he immediately looked to break the treaty. The Rhineland would be his first overt action. First slowly, symbolically, then very openly, Hitler sent troops into the Rhineland. In Great Britain, Winston Churchill called for action, for France to mobilize her army and send troops back into the demilitarized zone. But France and Britain d=feared another war and public opinion n some ways favored Germany, who they saw as the victim of the malicious allies.
In fact, we now know that the whole thing was an elaborate bluff by Hitler. Militarily, Germany at that point was very weak. Germany's generals feared a war with France. Had France or Britain threatened action, Germany's generals had planned to overthrow Hitler. Instead, the west did nothing, the peace marchers were appeased, and Hitler was strengthened both at home and abroad.
Today, we see much the same. In 1991, as a condition of ending the Gulf War, Iraq agreed to stop producing certain weapons, and gave the United Nations open inspections. In 1998, when Hussein threw out the inspectors, the west did nothing other than launch a handful of symbolic air strikes. Only the threat of invasion forced Hussein to allow the inspectors back in.
And now, that threat has been removed. Baring unilateral action by the United States, Iraq has, in effect, been given notice that the world will do nothing. France could have stood up in the UN, said �disarm or we cannot contain the Americans.� Instead, Hussein has been given the go ahead to delay and stall and play for time. This may, paradoxically make war more likely. The US may decide that instead of waiting for inspections, which will only lead to further French delay, the better decision is to overthrow Hussein.
I think France is wrong. I think that by their actions, they have made war more, not less likely (by giving Hussein the idea that by dragging out things he can make the west get tired). France also seems to have driven deep cracks between the US and Europe and between the current EU and the candidate members in the east.
BUT, I also think our reaction is not helping matters. Yes, many Americans are annoyed at France and there is allot of resentment here for what we see as French arrogance and ungrateful behavior. But this is getting blown out of proportion.
France is America's oldest ally. French Revolutionary War dead are buried on our shores. We share many of the same principles. After all, how different from "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" is "la libert�, l'�galit�, la fraternit�"??
Instead on concentrating on how to make the middle east less dysfunctional (and hence stopping terrorism) we are now trading insults about what France did during WWII and whether Americans are uncultured.
This needs to stop.