1. BobW said:

Some of the material borders on gossip. In November, 1967, France was still in political NATO with an independent French nuclear force - le force de frappe. Of course "intra European wars" and French leadership were public relations at best. Any Berlin flareup that got worse-just by geography-placed France on the battlefield routes east and west of the Fulda pass.

To write (by whom?) "France would assume a pro-Arab policy" does not explain why France's national electricity grid is nuclear energy produced and not petroleum produced. I have a hunch some of those EAD dialogues had Louis XIII cognac served to those not fully observant of the Islamic dietary laws.

Now, how was the Euro-Arab dialogue bad fof "Europe" (France) ?
-In 1963, France vetoed UK membership in the EEC
-In 1964, France recognizes PR China
-In 1966, France removed it's military from the NATO unified command structure

After challenging the US-UK "special relationship", (and DeGaulle was betrayed somewhat by NATO), where else but the Arabs could France (OK; "Europe") get support?!

This entire article omits - even via a hint or a footnote - anything relating to pensions, annunities, endowments, full employment, medical care, education......where else but the Arabs could France obtain business for economic survival?

The oil politics is wrong. Plus, during an embargo, the Arabs started to stop the flow of oil to US forces in Vietnam. Although not in the news, the US response to the Arabs mentioned the word "radioactive". The US forces in Vietnam continued to be fueled during the embargo.

What "anti-American policies" were the EC required to adopt that the EC did not want to adopt? OPEC isn't the world's only global cartel. To believe Ye'on (or Lappen [?]) means France's Common Agricultural Policy ("CAP") challenged America's agricultural cartel. They didn't because the US has a component in the world agricultural cartel.

It's not accurate to say DeGaulle sought a "reconcillation with Germany". France supported a rearmed West Germany in trade for US assistance in SE Asia.This was probably decided before the 4th French Republic (the Provisional Government) and probably occured at Yalta.

All the Arabs were not proNazi during WWII because of the strong Arab Communist presence.

Libya was an Italian colony; not French. The magnificent Italian Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was "deconscrated" and redesignated the Mosque of Gamal Abdel Nasser.

Algeria was not a country or colony, legalisticly speaking. Algeria was a Department or Province of France. That's why the word "France" isn't really a collective proper noun. France is still divided.

France started to take an anti-US position(by default affecting Israel)when France discovered secret protocols in the NATO treaty favorable to the UK and at the expense of France. This is why France withdrew from the military component of NATO.

Too much nonsense to contine ... "In Europe the romantic view of Lawrence of Arabia idealized Islam.". Try the British Petroleum concession renamed Kuwait.

More urgent reading would be the annual report of Westinghouse Nuclear.

Kol tuv,
BobW

2. felix quigley said:

Bob, I really do not understand what you are driving at. I feel that this writer Bat Ye'or has to be read very seriously, and I agree with very much of what is said. It seems to me that in Spain the ground was thoroughly prepared by an amalgam of social democrat and even stalinist communist for the Arab terrorist bombings which changed the election result. The Islamist terrorists it has emerged were very clear that that would be the result. The other point that is made that the Arab League imposed an oil embargo on the US, Denmark and Holland because the Arab League saw these countries as being pro-Israel, and that FOLLOWING THAT the whole of the EU changed its position for the worse towards Israel. These are historical questions of cause and effect that simply cannot be dismissed lightly. I think Bat Ye'or provides much knowledge.

3. BobW said:

Shalom Felix,

Nothing is dismissed lightly here.

Oil (petrol) is the key. Israel is the tangent.

As long as oil is artifically priced and serves as the major fuel in the US and Europe, the political tensions and violent flareups will persist. Organizations such as Hezbollah, Saudi Arabian National Guard and Iranian Revolutionary Guards are lethal because of petrodollar wealth. The Mao insurgency in Nepal and the Lord's Resistence Army in Uganda have nominal significance because of the lack of wealth.

Circa 1956,7, the US launched a experimental commercial nuclear powered cargo ship, the N.S. Savannah, to serve as a model for transitioning away from oil. President Lyndon Johnson in 1964 mothballed the vessel. To continue; Diablo Canyon commercial nuclear power plant was closed down; Mohawk Valley commercial nuclear power plant was closed down. The list continues allowing for a theme to become visable. The oil lobby governs.

Bat Ye'or magnifies the minor - and omits the major. West Europe needs revenue for their pension programs and jobs programs. Where else but the Arabs can Paris look to. I'm abbreviating a lot but France has a serious shortage of workers because of the low birthrate. The Arabs are supporting the French economy.

I am connecting both the artifically overpriced oil with the decolonialization of post WWII. Ye'or can write 10 more books and nothing will change. There are Arab Muslims throughout other areas besides W. Europe. Their influence is declining in the States. They have no influence in China. China followed Japan and diversified oil sources away from the Arabs.

The terrorists in the Middle East are not dangerous because they are Islamofascists (I use the term barbarians.). They are a major danger because they have petrodollar wealth to obtain weapons, ordnance and the support systems for global reach.

The Arab League (OPEC Vienna) oil embargo omits discussion why this act of war met little response from the US at the time.

Bat Ye'or complains about the Muslim immigrants and the related political demands.They've got the petrodollars. That's what I'm driving at.

Kol tuv,
BobW