France Pre-Surrenders in Lebanon
After co-sponsoring the deal to send peacekeepers to the south of Lebanon, France is balking at actually putting any of their own troops in harm’s way.
Raise your hand if you’re surprised.
UPDATE: Kevin Drum dubs Jacques Chirac “Wanker of the Day.”
Given that the most likely unit to be deployed would be some element of the French Foreign Legion, I am a bit surprised. I would not think that Chirac valued their lives like he would “real” Frenchmen.
What will be fun now is for Israel to say they won’t pull their troops out until “until the mission, the terms of engagement, and the proposed composition of the force have been clarified. “
YAJ – The French military are loathe to use their precious few foreign legion units in useless peacekeeping operations. They prefer to keep them in top condition through realistic training and on ready standby for worldwide deployment, just like what we do with the XVIII Airborn Corps.