Some fear a different France, an unfamiliar France will emerge with the election of a new French president. A France of daring. A France kitted out for the trials and challenges of the great big world.

Pace. Not to worry.

GET OUT, TALIBAN TELL FRANCE

KABUL Aprill 22, 2007 (NZH) - Taliban guerrillas yesterday gave France a week to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan and demanded the release of fighters held by the government to save two kidnapped French aid workers, according to a web statement.

... The Afghan government has ruled out any hostage swap to free the two French aid workers held since they were captured two weeks ago by the rebels, who have threatened to behead them and send their heads to Paris.

The assiduous note-takers at the French foreign ministry took note.

SARKOZY FAVOURS AFGHAN WITHDRAWAL OF FRENCH TROOPS

PARIS April 26, 2007 (Reuters) - Presidential frontrunner Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday he saw no long-term presence for French troops in Afghanistan.

"It was certainly useful that we sent (the troops) in the context of the war against terrorism, but the long-term presence of French troops in that part of the world does not seem to me to be decisive," Sarkozy told France 2 television. ... "There was a given moment for helping (Afghanistan President Hamid) Mr. Karzai. ... Then the president of the republic [scil., Jack] decided to repatriate the special forces and a certain number of units. It's a policy I will follow."

[Pause.] Yes. Well, it seems the Taliban had only to ask.

... NATO chiefs have regularly complained of troop shortfalls and there have been regular casualties during Spring fighting with the Taliban.

Jack's policy, which apparently will be Sarko's policy, is transparently feckless. Just how has Hamid Karzai's "given moment" passed? The elected Afghan government is under threat. There is an urgent need for additional troops to prosecute war in Afghanistan. Yet France ups sticks.

French military manpower stands* at 249,000 and is ranked 20th in the world. This excludes 80,000 civilian personnel and the 99,000 Gendarmerie Nationale who police France. Less than 36,000 troops** are deployed abroad in French territories and "crisis management*** and peacekeeping operations" (36% = 13,000 troops).

Perhaps the foreign office simply hasn't thought to do the arithmetic.

Of the 213,000 troops sitting around France let us assume roughly half of these are needed for Bastille Day parades for which they drill year-round. Of the 106,500 remaining troops let us assume half of these are rented out to movie production companies. Of the remainder let us assume half of these are on loan to the Élysée as guards, wait staff, sommeliers, parking valets, and gardeners, and that half of the next remainder are on sick leave. This gives us a little over 13,000 troops available for duty in Afghanistan.

It is up to the other big countries to act [in Afghanistan]. ... France has the capablities. It is not enough for them just to sit around near the airport.

Senior British defense official
September 20, 2006 (Mirror)

And now -- now even the duty-free shop will go unprotected.

Earlier posts on France's Afghan window dressing can be found here, here, here, here here and here.

* Questions about the French military? Check out the FAQ page at the Ministère de la Défense.

** Or more. The same government source gives two different sets of numbers. The second set has 38,000 troops abroad, 14,000 in "crisis management and peacekeeping operations".

*** Too affected to wage war, France attacks her enemies therapeutically, with esteem-building, counseling, and psychotropes.

PFFT (What is this?): Feckless France 4 | Same-old same-old 4 | Rayonnement français 0