The French ambassador to Ireland has called aspects of US foreign policy in question, saying there is “no ‘axis of evil’” and claiming that the US-led invasion of Afghanistan “triggered a catastrophic series of events”.
Frédéric Grasset (right), who has served with the French diplomatic core in Iran, Malaysia, Morocco and Sing-apore, made the claims during a speech to the Trinity College Historical Society last Thursday.
The diplomat also suggested that the US failed to predict the potential consequences of its actions before it invaded Afghanistan. He added: “There are always problems with foreign invasions because of the shock it brings in terms of peoples’ sense of national identity, but this problem is always more serious when it’s a Muslim country and religion becomes a factor.”
The Algerian-born ambassador, who has worked in France’s diplomatic service for the last 26 years, said he believed the West needed to seek an accommodation with Islamic values.
He said Europe and the US must examine “how the ambitions and goals of Islam can match those of the Western World”.
Ambassador Grasset has an intimate understanding of Islam that was formed during this youth in Algeria. He recalled being exposed to the Muslim faith from an early age and said that although his parents were French, Arabic was spoken in his family for four generations.
The ambassador described the Middle East as “the cradle of the world”, but added that it was “the spring of all conflicts” on account of regional diversity, with an “unstable” balance of power because of the influence of oil.
He added that “interaction is vital to the future of the Muslim world” and pointed out that most Muslims were aware that terrorism was not the answer to their problems. However, he also played down the level of the terrorist threat the West faces, saying: “We are not being confronted with a global phenomenon; terrorism is not some worldly disease... There is no ‘axis of evil’.”
The diplomat, who also served in the French military, also spoke about the influence one of its most well-known leaders had on the world’s perception of his country:
“The personality of Charles de Gaulle inflated the influence of what is a medium-sized country. France was larger than life and this idea was firmly rooted in the minds of my generation,” he said.
Notably absent from Ambassador Grasset’s lecture was any reference to the recent election of Nicolas Sarkozy as France’s new president.
The diplomat also suggested that the US failed to predict the potential consequences of its actions before it invaded Afghanistan. He added: “There are always problems with foreign invasions because of the shock it brings in terms of peoples’ sense of national identity, but this problem is always more serious when it’s a Muslim country and religion becomes a factor.”
The Algerian-born ambassador, who has worked in France’s diplomatic service for the last 26 years, said he believed the West needed to seek an accommodation with Islamic values.
He said Europe and the US must examine “how the ambitions and goals of Islam can match those of the Western World”.
Ambassador Grasset has an intimate understanding of Islam that was formed during this youth in Algeria. He recalled being exposed to the Muslim faith from an early age and said that although his parents were French, Arabic was spoken in his family for four generations.
The ambassador described the Middle East as “the cradle of the world”, but added that it was “the spring of all conflicts” on account of regional diversity, with an “unstable” balance of power because of the influence of oil.
He added that “interaction is vital to the future of the Muslim world” and pointed out that most Muslims were aware that terrorism was not the answer to their problems. However, he also played down the level of the terrorist threat the West faces, saying: “We are not being confronted with a global phenomenon; terrorism is not some worldly disease... There is no ‘axis of evil’.”
The diplomat, who also served in the French military, also spoke about the influence one of its most well-known leaders had on the world’s perception of his country:
“The personality of Charles de Gaulle inflated the influence of what is a medium-sized country. France was larger than life and this idea was firmly rooted in the minds of my generation,” he said.
Notably absent from Ambassador Grasset’s lecture was any reference to the recent election of Nicolas Sarkozy as France’s new president.
