MORE ON FRANCE, from The Economist:

These failures were crystallised in President Jacques Chirac’s stubborn opposition to the American-led war in Iraq. The initial position was legitimate, Mr Baverez argues, but the manner in which it was carried through ended in ridicule. “France knows what it does not want—the hegemony of the United States in the democratic world, the leadership of the United Kingdom in Europe—but does not know what it wants,” he writes.

This paralysis exists because it suits the trio of political, bureaucratic and union interests to keep the system the way it is. No government has found the courage to persuade France of the need for shock-therapy. Instead, successive leaders, in particular François Mitterrand and Mr Chirac, have sought scapegoats—globalisation, immigration, the reunification of Germany—for French difficulties, instead of confronting them honestly. Worse, they have defended France’s refusal to change in the name of a “French exception”. This sham is dangerous, Mr Baverez says, because the deception of the electorate feeds the populist, anti-establishment message of the far-right National Front.

It’s nice to see that the French are beginning to think about these things.

Read this, too, if you’re interested. Given the outsized (and usually negative) role that France has played lately, I think that this is really important stuff for the future of Europe, America, and the world. (And, though it’s not as important, French wines are doing badly in the United States. This is significant only in that it may serve as an attention-getter. Thanks to reader Khaled Matar for the link.)