There's the Door, Chirac

On Monday, in front of reporters from The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune and Le Nouvel Observateur, French President Jacques Chirac claimed that if Iran had one or two nuclear weapons, it would not pose a serious danger because the launching of such a weapon would lead to the immediate destruction of Tehran.

Mr. Chirac said it would be an act of self-destruction for Iran to use a nuclear weapon against another country.

“Where will it drop it, this bomb? On Israel?” Mr. Chirac asked. “It would not have gone 200 meters into the atmosphere before Tehran would be razed.”

This statement flew in the face of official French, Western and UN policy (and general common sense) which has passed a resolution calling for sanctions on Iran for its refusal to stop enriching uranium.

Chirac immediately called the reporters back to his office in order to withdraw the comments.

What could be truly scary about this episode is the notion, running in some diplomatic circles, that with three months left in his term, Chirac is concerned about his legacy. I will waste no time in giving Chirac credit for opposing the Iraq War (even though he was largely concerned with protecting French trade interests). However, it would be sad to think that he will take unilateral actions that brazenly contradicts the international community, just so he can protect his position in history.