Is France Iraq’s new BFF?

According to the New York Times‘s Marc Santora and Alan Cowell, yesterday’s meeting between Nouri al-Maliki and French President Nicolas Sarkozy is a sign that the Iraqi leader is looking to “gradually diminish American power over Iraqi politics and increase ties to other Western powers.”

This was reinforced by a swipe at U.S. Vice President Joe Biden:

“The time for putting pressure on Iraq is over,” Mr. Maliki said in answer to a reporter’s question about Mr. Biden’s remarks. “The Iraqi government knows what its responsibilities are. We are carrying out reform, and we are in the last step of reconciliation.”

If Maliki thinks his country would be better off with France, he clearly hasn’t been reading my blogging colleague David Rothkopf or he would know that they’re not always the most dependable friends. Then again, Iraq’s on Rothkopf’s list of America’s worst allies too.

Speaking of Rothkopf, this is just about the best thing I read today:

Why is it that people treat foreign policy like it is semi-theological when the bullshit factor in making policy about hugely complex issues is so high and duplicity, deception and grotesquely self-serving behavior are so prevalent? Why do they practically write about it in an English accent? I literally do not know of a single respectable intellectual pursuit that is founded more on generalization, speculation, and guessing than even the most “serious” practice of foreign policy professionals.

Then he smacks down an uppity commenter and starts talking about Rihanna for some reason.

Photo: Iraqi Prime Minister Office via Getty Images