All war is political as all politics are war

Nicolas Sarkozy has recently forced his lead in the military campaign against Muammar Gaddafi with France being the first country to bombard Lybia. First off, France was caught on the wrong side of two North African revolutions. France’s then foreign minister, enjoying luxurious trips to Tunisia and Egypt, was caught red-handed with obvious ties with the Ben Ali family resulting in his dismissal. The manic Sarkozy is obviously over-compensating with macho rhetoric and trigger-happy talk to atone his government’s obvious laxity during the two previous Arab revolutions. His efforts are clear outcomes of his campaign to win re-election against a growing support for far-right, Front National, Marine Le Pen. Le Pen’s xenophobic stances are fed by a scared French population who believe that Islam means terrorism. Sarkozy obviously knows that a decisive appearance on the global stage could win back some of his right-side supporters.

This ascertainment wakes a dreadful thought; that of politicians using wars for their own campaign prospects. Though shockingly spread out, this idea is anything but new, going as far as Bush’s war in Iraq, the Napoleonic wars or even the Roman emperor Julius Cesar. You may remember the war in Iraq as it touched the “Need to do something” (as Letterman would put it) after the 9/11 tragedy. Behind this anti-terror crusade was a weapons of mass destruction fallacy that when pulled off, saved Bush’s horrible first mandate.

Remember, wars always generate money and when won, they generate popularity; a country like France was in critical need for both which would explain why Sarkozy was so quick to pull the trigger. No wonder why the youth is turning away from voting booths…