FRANCE: President Hollande Calls for War, But There Are No Volunteers

So where do we all stand? François Hollande announced that France is at war and has called for an international coalition to fight against ISIS with the goal of “destroying terrorism.” So do we finally have the response that we have been waiting for since the first few hours after the attack in Paris: a coordinated deployment of international troops to Syria and Iraq to fight ISIS?

Not exactly. When read alongside the speech Obama made at almost exactly the same time, the French President’s brave pronouncement of resistance reveals that, on the contrary, any actions taken in the Middle East during the next few months will not include the preparation of military forces on a grand scale. There will be many actions taken and the pressure on the Caliphate will escalate, but at the same time the course which the West seems to have chosen is still that of a combination of military pressure and diplomacy. But let us go back and return to the President’s speech at Versailles.

Hollande has raised the bar for action to an unprecedented level both within and outside of his country. The president made his address to a gravely solemn room, and at the end of his speech, the members of Parliament rose to their feet began singing the French national anthem. He announced an increase of internal security forces as well as other drastic measures, including stripping French nationals who are suspected of having terrorist connections of their dual citizenship. Lastly he called for a change to the French constitution itself that would allow for an expansion of the government’s powers under a state of emergency. His comments on the actions to be taken outside of France were just as strong and were directed at the world as a whole, not just the West, including Iran, Turkey and the Gulf countries. He has requested a meeting of the UN Security Council “to speak with Putin and Obama” and announced that the aircraft carrier De Gaulle has been dispatched to Syria, which will intensify pressure in the region.