French policy toward Colombia

Did you ever wonder what the French were doing when they weren't excoriating President Bush for his dreadful foreign policy disasters? Well, for one thing, making their own blunders.

Even President Nicolas Sarkozy let himself get suckered by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. He and the rest of the French foreign policy elite opposed any military initiative to free the hostages held by the FARC, especially Ingrid Betancourt who also has French citizenship. Instead, they supported Chavez' proposals for negotiations. That policy looks rather foolish now that it has become clear that the FARC never intended to release Betancourt and that Chavez had close ties with the FARC.

For more background, read John Rosenthal's interview with Daniel Pecaut, a French expert on Colombia.