Jacques’s Measured Response
French President Jacques Chirac has threatened to use nuclear weapons to kill millions of people as a response to terrorist attacks on France or French interests.
Chirac, who has the power to decide on deploying nuclear weapons, said there should be no doubt “about our will and our capacity to use nuclear arms” if the country’s vital interests are threatened.
Chirac’s ominous threat distinguished between “fanatic terrorists” and “leaders of states,” but then seemed to threaten both with nuclear retaliation:
“Nuclear deterrence … is not aimed at dissuading fanatic terrorists,” Chirac said in a speech delivered at the L’Ile-Longue nuclear submarine base in the western region of Brittany.
“Leaders of states who would use terrorist means against us, just like anyone who would envisage using, in one way or another, arms of mass destruction, must understand that they would expose themselves to a firm and fitting response from us,” he said. “This response could be conventional. It could also be of another nature.”
Naturally, it has led to protests throughout the world. Literally ones of persons have flooded into the street in at least one city.
Well, if they’re _French_ nukes, then it’s ok. Who would march against those? And anyway, he promised to use them against millions of innocent people only in order to protect France’s “vital interests.”
Why IS there no outrage about this? It sounds like Chirac just threatened nuclear holocaust in other countries if his country’s interests are attacked. It sounds at least as outrageous as the latest Bush idiocy if not a lot more so, but this was the only mention I heard of it.
Les vital interests = Les fromageries and les patisseries!