United States and French Relationship Essay -- World Politics Politica

United States and French RelationshipFreedom french-fried potatoes and Chanel boycotts should non be dismissed as isolated and juvenile be moderate on the part of the American people. Rather, the visceral reaction to French vacillation to follow the Bush administration into Iraq should be addressed as a substantive and not simply cosmetic distrust Americans share of the French.Kantian countryIn France, the renegade cowboy George W. Bush is anathema to a country more comfortable with shades of gray than the black and etiolated lenses with which the United States views the world. The US and France rarely see eye to eye on cultural and political issues simply because we do not share the kindred world view. American eyes view the outside a bite differently than the French and this is at the root of most foreign polity differences. The Hobbesian view of man, largely based on Judeo-Christian beliefs that led to the noted axis of evil appellation, grates French ears. Further, while most French nationals let out a foreign language, travel extensively, and consider themselves global citizens (but alas, are not tous amricains), recent allegations that John Kerry looks French and even speaks the language have reminded us all that antipathy towards the French and xenophobia persist. Alain de Chalvron of France 2 explains, for us, to speak each other language and have an open view of the world, for a President, should be a plus (Kurlantzick).In France, while Michael Moore is heralded at Cannes for his disputable documentary deploring gun violence in the US, he is maligned as anti-American on US soil. Further, while most Americans view McDonalds as a great symbol of economic prosperity, its exterior wall is now the tableau vivant of choice... ...ldberg071602.aspHuntington, Samuel. 2004. Who Are We? The Challenges to Americas National Identity, parvenu York Simon & Schuster.Kurlantzick, Joshua. 2004. blether of the Town. The New Yorker. April 19, 20 04.Meunier, Sophie. 2000. The French Exception. Foreign Affairs. July, August 2000. Nunberg, Geoffrey. 2003. A Lexicon of Francophobia, From Emerson to Fox TV, The New York Times, February 9, 2003, http//www-csli.standford.edu/nunberg/francophobia.htmlSafire, William. 2003. Chiracs Latest Ploy. The New York Times. April 24, 2003.Tsai, Michael. 2003. France-bashing again a popular pastime. The Olympian. March 9, 2003. http//www.theolympian.com/home/ countersign/20030309/living/17204.shtmlWallis, Frank. 2004. Laura Ingrahams Paranoid Stereotypes, counterbias.com, May 10, 2004, http//www.counterbias.com/027.html