March 08, 2003

He Loves The Little Man:

An important element of understanding the French desire to counterbalance U.S. unilateralism is understanding French Foreign Minister Dominique Galouzeau de Villepin, Chirac's chief foreign policy advisor (and a major pain in Colin Powell's ass). Today's New York Times offers this profile of de Villepin -- one with a teenage crush feel, and that casts de Villepin as a swashbuckling, daring-yet-sensitive dynamo.

An interesting perspective on the man, but almost celebrity-page material. The important nugget, however, is in these two paragraphs:

If Mr. de Villepin has a vision, it is to revive the greatness of France — a romantic view he articulated in his book, "The Hundred Days," the first published volume of a biography of Napoleon that tells the story of the emperor's return from exile, his triumphant march across France and his final defeat at Waterloo.

Describing Napoleon's philosophy as "Victory or death, but glory whatever happens," Mr. de Villepin added, "There is not a day that goes by without me feeling the imperious need to remember so as not to yield in the face of indifference, laughter or gibes" in order to "advance further in the name of a French ambition."

And now the picture becomes a bit more clear, doesn't it. De Villepin is a Napoleonphile. It's certainly an interesting philosophical touchstone for a man doggedly arguing for military restraint.

Posted by Avocare at March 8, 2003 11:09 PM
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