Word: frenchness
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...faceless sommelier prepares for an evening at work, fastening his flashy cufflinks in a dimly lit boudoir. He reaches into a drawer full of corkscrews, scoops them up, and casts them into the trash. "Le cork est mort! (The cork is dead!)," the sommelier proclaims in a campy French accent. "Vive le screwcap...
...Kouchner's involvement gave the visit an added symbolism, considering his own views on the issue of the Iraq war. Unlike Sarkozy himself, Kouchner was one of the few leading French politicians who voiced conditional backing of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, arguing the removal of Saddam Hussein would strike a blow in favor of humanitarian principles. Upon becoming France's head diplomat, Kouchner listed greater French interest in Iraq as one of his priorities, alongside a more active role in conflicts in Darfur, Kosovo and Lebanon. Finally, Kouchner's visit began on the fourth anniversary of the truck...
...Still, the diplomatic gesture - and improving atmosphere surrounding Franco-U.S. relations - will mean little, if anything, in terms of finding an end to the violence in Iraq. Though the French Foreign Ministry official says the visit "sends a message to the Iraqi leadership that France is ready to help find a resolution to the conflict." He reiterated French policy that "any eventual solution must be political, not military...
...Though Kouchner's presence in Iraq served multiple symbolic purposes, it's clear it doesn't signal a revised French position on wading into a conflict virtually all its leaders still think was a mistake. Indeed, the Foreign Ministry official noted there's no question of sending French forces to Iraq, while even contractors from working in the country do so against governmental advisories. In fact, the violence in Iraq is so great that authorities from France's main foreign intelligence service tell TIME their local officials have suggested pulling out until some semblance of order is restored. Though...
...Given the situation today, says one French intelligence official, "it looks clear U.S. forces have at least a decade ahead of themselves just to stabilize and secure Baghdad - forget about the rest of Iraq for now." Such forecasts aren't ones the Bush Administration or the U.S. public wants to hear - but they also won't be ones diplomats like Kouchner will be able to ignore now that he has taken a renewed interest in the country...