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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 8-Nov-07
Nicolas Sarkozy gives stirring speech to joint session of Congress

Web Log - November, 2007

Nicolas Sarkozy gives stirring speech to joint session of Congress

Years of French/American hostility seemed to melt away on Wednesday, as French President Nicolas Sarkozy expressed his love for America in a speech to a joint session of Congress. There were frequent standing ovations as he cheered American idealism, American morality, and America's courage in saving France during the World Wars.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy speaks to a joint session of Congress. (Source: C-SPAN)

French President Nicolas Sarkozy speaks to a joint session of Congress. (Source: C-SPAN)

I frequently point out that, from the point of view of Generational Dynamics, the actions and behaviors of politicians are really irrelevant to what's going to happen, except insofar as the politicians' views represent those of the masses of people who elected them. So the question is, how deeply do the French agree with these views stated by Sarkozy?

I don't know the answer to that question, except that I've heard several pundits recently talk about how much the French people love America, only differing with Americans over pursuit of the Iraq war. I have to say that this is news to me. During the 1970s I spent a fair amount of time in Europe on business, and it was perfectly clear to me that the Germans liked Americans and the French hated Americans.

Probably more to the point is the attitudes of the French people toward the British or, as Sarkozy's predecessor used to call them, the "Anglo-Saxons." Jacques Chirac's denunciations of Tony Blair and British policy during discussions of the EU constitution were so bitter that I indicated that a future war between France and Britain seemed fairly certain.

People tend to recoil when I suggest this, but it's really not far-fetched at all. There have been numerous bitter crisis wars fought between the English and French in the millennium since 1066, and the only really far-fetched idea is that such a war will never happen again.

Many older French people today still have bitter feelings towards the British because of the Duke of Wellington's victory over Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo in 1815. Napoleon had an early vision of a "European Union" led by France, and the visceral feeling is that the British are guilty of blocking France's leadership in the EU today just as they did with Napoleon.

So it's not surprising that Sarkozy spoke at length about France's support for America in the American revolution. He didn't mention the British, but of course web site readers may recall that the American Revolution was fought against the British, with whom France had been at war in many places around the world in the previous century.

An ironic choice by Sarkozy was his emphasis on the great French aristocrat Lafayette, who volunteered to fight alongside the colonists in the Revolutionary War and became a close friend with George Washington. Sarkozy repeatedly referred to this close friendship, but didn't mention that later Lafayette opposed Napoleon.

Thanking America's courage in the World Wars

The most touching of Sarkozy's remarks came when he thanked America for saving France twice during the two world wars. It's interesting that he put a generational spin on it as well. (This is my own transcript of the simultaneous translation; I'll update this page if a better transcript becomes available.)

"Ladies and gentlemen, the men and women of my generation heard their grandparents talk to them about how in 1917, America saved France. At a time when my country had reached the final limits of its strengths, a time when France was exhausted, it had spent its strength in the most absurd and bloodiest of wars, and France was able to count upon the courage of American soldiers. And I have come to say to you on behalf of the French people that never, never will we forget that.

The men and women of my generation heard their parents talk about how America returned in 1944 to free us from the horrifying tyranny that threatened to enslave us. And fathers in my country took their sons to see the vast cemetaries where under thousands of white crosses, so far from home, thousands of American soldiers lay, who had fallen not to defend their own freedom, but to defend the freedom of all others, who died far from their homes

Not to defend their own families and their own homeland, but to defend humanity as a whole. That is why we love America.

And the fathers took their sons to the beaches, the beaches where the young men of America had so heroically landed. and the fathers read to their sons the admirable letters of farewell that those soldiers, those 20 year old soldiers, had written to their families before battle, to say to them, we don't consider ourselves to be heroes, we want this war to be over, but however much dread that we feel, you can count on us.

And before they landed, Eisenhower told them -- and we have not forgotten in Europe these words -- "The eyes of the world are upon you, young men of America, the hopes and prayers of all liberty loving people much with you."

And the children of my generation, as they listen to their fathers, as they watch movies, as they read history books, and the letters of YOUR soldiers who died on our beaches of Normandy and Provence, as they visited the cemetaries where the Star Spangled Banner flies, the children of my generation understood that these young 20 year old Americans were true heroes to whom we owed the fact that we were free people and not slaves. America liberated us, and this is an eternal debt that we owe America.

As president of the French Republic, my duty is to say to the people of America, that you represent in its vast diversity, that France will never forget, the sacrifice of your children, and to say to the families of those who did not return, those who did not come back, to those who cried the loss of their fathers whom they virtually had no time to know. that the gratitude of France is forever.

On behalf of my generation that did not suffer under the war, on behalf of those children who will always remember, and to all the veterans who are present here, and in particular the seven I was honored to decorate last night, one of whom, [Hawaii Senator Daniel K.] Inouye, who belongs to your Congress, I want to express the deep and sincere gratitude of the French people. and I want to tell you something, something important.

Every time, whenever an American soldier falls, somewhere in the world, I think of what the American army did for France, I think of them, and I am sad, as one is saddened to lose a member of one's family.

Sarkozy received several standing ovations during this portion of the speech, and that was true in other portions as well.

Praise for American idealism

"But the US and France are not simply two nations that are true to the memory of what they've accomplished together in the past. The United States and France are two nations that remain true to the one and same ideal, who uphold the same principles, believe in the same values.

Sarkozy enjoys a standing ovation after praising American idealism (Source: C-SPAN)

Sarkozy enjoys a standing ovation after praising American idealism (Source: C-SPAN)

I refer, I speak to you, as I stand before the portraits and of Washington and of Lafayette. Lafayette was the first to speak to both chambers. What could possibly have brought together two people who were so different in terms of age and of origin - Lafayette and Washington?

It is the common values, the shared values. the same love of liberty and of justice. And when Lafayette joined George Washington, he said to him, I have come here to this land of America to learn, and not to teach. He came from the old world, and he came to the new world, and he said, I have come to learn, and not to teach. That is the new spirit and youth of the old world, coming to seek out the wisdom of the new world. to open here in America new era for all of humankind.

The American dream, was from the very beginning, the very outset, a matter of putting into practice what the old world had dreamt of without being able to build it, to acommplish it.

From the beginning, the American dream meant proving to all men and women throughout the world, that freedom, justice, human rights and democracy, were not an utopia, but quite the reverse -- they where the most realistic policy there is, and the most like ly to improve the lot and fate of each and every one. to the millions of men and women who came from every country in the world and with their own hands, their intelligence, and their hearts, built the greatest nation in the world, America did not say, come and everything will be given to you. Rather she said, come, and the only limits to what you will be able to achieve will be the limits of your own courage, your boldness, and your talent.

The America that we love throughout the world embodies this extraordinary ability to grant each and every person a a second chance, another chance, because in America, failure is never the last world, there's always another chance. Here, in your contry, on this soil, the humblest and most illustrious citizens alike, know that nothing is owed to them, and that everything has to be earned. That is what constitutes the moral value of America.

America did not teach men the idea of freedom. She taught them how to practice it. And America fought for this freedom whenever she felt it to be threatened or jeopardized. And it was by watching America grow that men and women understood that freedom and liberty were possible, and it is that that gives you a special responsibility. What made America great is her ability to transform her own dream, the American dream, into a source of hope for all of mankind."

From Elvis to Martin Luther King

"But my generation did not love America only because she defended freedom. We also loved America because for us she embodied what was most audacious about the human enterprise, because America for us embodied the spirit of conquest. We loved America, because for us, America was a new frontier that was continuously being rolled back, a constantly renewed challenge to the inventiveness of the human spirit.

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My generation, without even coming to America, shared all of your dreams. In our imaginations, our imaginations were fueled by Hollywood, by the great conquest of the western territories, by Elvis Presley - you probably haven't head his name quoted here -- but for my generation, he is universal.

Duke Ellington, Hemingway, John Wayne, Charlton Heston, Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth, Bud Armstrong, Aldren, Collins, who fulfilled mankind's oldest dream, on the day when Americans walked on the moon. That day, America was universal, and each one of us wanted to be part of its great adventure.

What was most extraordinary for us was that through your literature, your cinema, your music, it seemed to us that America America always seemed to emerge ever greater, ever stronger from adversity, from the challenges that it faced. And it seemed to us that instead of causing America to engage in self-doubt, these difficulties only strengthened her belief in her values.

What makes America strong is the strength of this ideal that is shared by all Americans, and by all those who love her, because they love freedom.

And let me say as I stand before you in this congress America's strength is not only a material strength, it is first and foremost a moral strength, a spiritual strength, and no one expressed this better than a black pastor, who asked just one thing of America, that she be true to the ideal in whose name he -- he the grandson of a slave -- felt so deeply American. That name was Martin Luther King. He made America a universal role model.

And the world still remembers his words, that not a single young Frenchman of my generation has forgotten either, the words of Martin Luther King words of love, words of dignity, words of justice. And these words, America heard, and as a result America changed. And the men and women who had doubted America, because they no longer recognized her, began to love her once again.

Fundamentally, what are those who love America asking of her, if not to remain forever true to your founding values."

Remembering 9/11

"Ladies and gentlemen, today as in the past, as we stand at the beginning of the 21st century, it is together that we must fight to defend and promote the values and ideals of freedom and democracy that men such as Washington and Lafayette coined and invented together.

Together, united, we must fight against terror.

On September 11, 2001, all of France, horror struck as we were, but rallied to the American people. On the front page headline of one of our major dailies read, we are all American on this 11th of September 2001.

And on that day, when you were mourning so many dead, never had America appeared to me so great, so dignified, so strong. The terrorists had thought they would weaken you, but they made you greater, and the people of the world admired America for its courage. that is the truth.

And from day one, France decided to participate shoulder to shoulder with you in the war. in afghanistan. And let me tell you solemnly today, France will remain engaged in Afghanistan for as long as it takes, because what is at stake in that country is the very future of our values and that of the of the Atlantic alliance.

Solemnly, before you, let me say, failure is not an option. Terrorism will not prevail, for democracies are not entitled to be weak. And because, we, the free world, are not afraid of this new barbarism, and because of that, America can count on France in its battle on terror.

The above is a transition into policy issues. Sarkozy commits France to continued support of the war on terror and the war in Afghanistan. Later, he declares support for America's policy versus Iran. He never mentions Iraq.

Financial capitalism and monetary war

Sarko didn't use the word "subprime," but he made some startling remarks alluding to the current global financial crisis, for which he clearly blames the United States:

"And allow a friend of America to say this to her. This stated responsibility comes with duties, for France and for America, and the first of which is setting an example. Those who love this nation, which, more than any other has demonstrated the virtues of free enterprise, expect America to be the very first to denounce the abuses and the excesses of a financial capitalism that sets too great a store by speculation. They expect her to commit fully to the necessary rules and safeguards. the America that I love is the one that encourages entrepreneurs, not speculators.

Those who admire the nation that has built the world's greatest economy, and has never ceased trying to persuade the world of the advantages of free trade, expect her to be the first to promote fair exchange rates. the yuan is already everybody's problem. The dollar cannot remain solely the problem of others.

If we are not careful, monetary disarray could indeed morph into monetary war, and we would all, all of us, be its victims.

Talking about "monetary war" is a fairly alarming statement for a politician who's in the middle of a speech where he's sucking up to American congressmen. It's the main reminder of the Jacques Chirac's bitter remarks in 2005 about the "Anglo-Saxon" word view, and how it differs from the French world view.

He made some remarks on global warming that didn't go over too well:

"Those of us who love the country of wide open spaces, and open parks, and nature protected nature reserves expect America to stand alongside europe, leading the fight against global warming that threatens the destruction of our planet.

I know that the American people and its citizen states are increasingly aware of the stakes and determined to act.

Allow me to say with all the friendship that I feel for America: That this fight is essential for the future of humanity, and we will not be able to achieve the results that we must achieve without America leading this fight, for the safeguarding of our planet, of the human species. We need America in order to protect our planet and its environment."

Sarkozy received polite applause for these remarks on global warming, but just after the words "destruction of our planet," I could swear that I heard a number of "boos" mixed in with the polite applause.

Some observations

During the past few days, we've had two major speeches by international leaders appealing to America's sense of its own history.

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's speech declaring marshal law spoke of how Abraham Lincoln had to violate Constitutional principles at the height of the American Civil War.

Sarkozy shakes hands after his speech ends (Source: C-SPAN)

Sarkozy shakes hands after his speech ends (Source: C-SPAN)

And now we have Sarkozy's speech, where he talks of his own love for America and French-American friendship by referring to America's own Revolutionary War ideals.

People who criticize this web site or Generational Dynamics seem to be unaware of the power of historical images in other people, while accepting in themselves.

Thus, most Americans understand the symbolism intended by Musharraf and Sarkozy in their references to American history, to Lincoln and Washington, respectively.

So it shouldn't be a surprise that people in other nations have strong reactions to references to the 1947 genocidal bloodbath in Pakistan and India, or the fall of the Byzantine Empire in Constantinople to the Muslims in 1453. Events like these are earthquakes that trigger tsunamis that are just reaching us today.

Nicolas Sarkozy's speech to the joint session of Congress on Wednesday is important because of the symbols he chose to mention -- the American Revolutionary War and the victory over the British at Yorktown. But it's also important because of the symbol that he didn't mention -- the British victory over France at Waterloo.

Sarkozy is playing a complex political game to gain a French advantage over Britain in the European Union, by trying to show that France can be a better friend to America than Britain can. Whether it's possible for a few Sarkozy speeches to overcome deep visceral hatreds from a millennium of wars between the French and the Anglo-Saxons remains to be seen, but from the point of view of Generational Dynamics, it's not very likely.

Even so, it's nice to hear such deeply textured words of praise for America and American ideals. Things may become contentious again before long, but we can at least enjoy the moment while it lasts. (8-Nov-07) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 8-Nov-07 Nicolas Sarkozy gives stirring speech to joint session of Congress