Mr. President, Review Your Foreign Policy!

Robert Aydabirian, Paris, 26 January 2015

The recent dramas of January 2015 have thrown us into a state of deep emotion.  But now that the innocent victims have been buried, we must reflect upon these events and try to understand where exactly the roots of these inhumane acts lie, both within Paris, a few steps away from our homes, and within the Middle East where they have long been hiding, just under a fifteen-hour journey away from our beloved Armenia.   

Putting an end to this outburst of hatred, violence and confrontation, which will surely destabilize entire societies for decades to come suggests, as you have done Mr. President, a re-think of the relevant questions at hand:  questions concerning multicultural living, the role of national education, the rule of Republican principles, and an effective press freedom.  But I also beg you, Mr. President, to clearly reconsider questions relating to foreign policy, where our priorities and alliances must be revised.  Our current foreign policy is dogmatic and neo-conservative, and may lead France into grave situations of compromise, led by the excessive ambitions of Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan.

Robert Aydabirian, Paris, 26 January 2015

The recent dramas of January 2015 have thrown us into a state of deep emotion.  But now that the innocent victims have been buried, we must reflect upon these events and try to understand where exactly the roots of these inhumane acts lie, both within Paris, a few steps away from our homes, and within the Middle East where they have long been hiding, just under a fifteen-hour journey away from our beloved Armenia.   

Putting an end to this outburst of hatred, violence and confrontation, which will surely destabilize entire societies for decades to come suggests, as you have done Mr. President, a re-think of the relevant questions at hand:  questions concerning multicultural living, the role of national education, the rule of Republican principles, and an effective press freedom.  But I also beg you, Mr. President, to clearly reconsider questions relating to foreign policy, where our priorities and alliances must be revised.  Our current foreign policy is dogmatic and neo-conservative, and may lead France into grave situations of compromise, led by the excessive ambitions of Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan.

You rightly claimed in your speech at the Institut du Monde Arabe that, "Radical Islam, which first swipes up Muslims, feeds off contradictions of all kinds, of all influences, of all situations of misery and inequality, and of all long- unresolved conflicts".  

In this case, Mr. President, may I suggest that we avoid giving more weight, for example, to "The black dossier of Franco-Syrian relations", as recounted by the renowned and talented reporter, Georges Malbrunot. We must avoid a repetition of the errors of judgment of the past 30 years. They have merely served to add oil to the fire in Syria, Libya and Africa, where over 2000 young French citizens have been recruited and indoctrinated, leaving our territory to fight for unknown ideals and returning dehumanized, to continue their jihad in France.  Their annihilation of the Charlie Hebdo editorial team has deprived us of our flesh and blood, of men rich in ideas and talent, as captured by Numa Sadoul in his book published with foresight in May 2013.  We discover that Cabu, who is a symbol of my generation and a child of the Republic, was an optimist who confronted the thought of death every day in order to be able to face it with courage.

So, Mr. President, please do not launch our country into an all-out war with the limited resources that we have. Instead, try to seek realistic solutions to the conflicts that are ongoing, from Ukraine to Nigeria.  Choose your enemies and your allies well. The jihadists must be incapacitated. They are a threat to all countries in the region, including those who have supported them.  Russia, Iran and Syria are desired allies. Jordan can help to disassociate Sunni tribes from extremist sects. You must help the Sunni elites to regain their rightful place in the armies and governance of Syria and Iraq. Defend the Kurds and encourage them to properly manage their regional autonomy within the countries that host them. For this, you must seek out the pragmatism of your Prime Minister, Manuel Valls.  In cooperation with Ms. Merkel, bring an end to the Ukrainian crisis by lifting the sanctions, which bring no benefit to anyone, and contribute to the fruition of an agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue.

As you well know, Mr. President, peace ultimately depends on negotiations between Paris and Moscow, Washington and Tehran, Tel Aviv and Ramallah, on the safety of your fellow citizens, and on improved cooperation between the intelligence services and governments.  Show the world, Mr. President, that France has learnt lessons from the human tragedies that struck her heart and soul between 7th to 12th January 2015.  

It is a hundred years after the exodus of Armenians to the Syrian deserts, to extermination camps, where even the ossuaries were not respected by incoming barbarians.

Can there be anything more profane than insults made to the dead? 

"The Paths of Damascus" – Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot. Editions Robert Laffont, 2014.

"Dessinateurs de Presse"– Numa Sadoul, Glénat Editions, 2014.