Charles de Gaulle Quotes
We’re defending the West here … a certain notion of what man is.
Charles De Gaulle, 1890-1970, French President, Referring to the “Dirty War” in Algeria, La Sale De Guerre
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See {585464} and {585466} for a similar view.
The Jews and Arabs for years shared Palestine. But the Jews spread out over the world, becoming modern and Westernized in the process. When the Jews returned to Palestine as a part of the Zionist movement, they were more modern, Westernized, and culturally at odds with their old Arab cousins, whose cultures had atrophied. The Arabs resented the Westernized culture that was being introduced into the Middle East. One point of view is that had Israel not tried to introduce moderism and Western ideas into the Middle East, the Jewish State might have been more accepted. However, not only did they bring a foreign perspective (democracy), education and techmology and capitalism to the area, but they far outpassed the Arab nations in agriculture, industry, science, medicine and general standard of living. The Arab dictators and monarchs had always had the excuse for poverty that the land was so poor that it simply could not be developed, but Israel developed the worst of the land in the area with no oil or natural resources. Every day of Israeli prosperity and scientific achievement was an embarassment for the rest of the Middle East where even the rich oil countries were not improving the lot of the average citizen.
Opponents claimed that it would be dishonorable to negotiate with terrorist states and to pay ransom at any time. This tension between principle and empathy with American prisoners first emerged in the Barbary Wars, but has been with America ever since. Our policy position of honor vis a vis terrorists has been the same since then. We do not negotiate. However, exceptions have been made many times in American history, as it was here thanks to military leaders like Barron. This was the origin of the military tradition of never leaving Americans behind in when they have been captured in conflicts that was so contentious such as the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars.
He and almost all of the Jews in Germany were expected to act like Germans. There was no room for maintaining and developing their own ethnic customs and traditions. When he arrived at New York, he was treated as a great celebrity by Mayor La Guardia, who was fluent in Yiddish, and other dignitaries some of whom were Jews and even met President Warren G. Harding. He lectured at City College and for the first time in his life saw Jews who had any distinguishing culture and customs—and the informality, egalitarianism, gregarious, free speaking, fun loving was just the opposite of the norms that he had grown up with in Germany which he did not like. See {640911}. He would later become a part of that culture and be seen as a leader, even being offered the Presidency of the new state of Israel in 1949.
He was the elected Mayor of London at the time.
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Republic from 1944 to 1946 in order to reestablish democracy in France. In 1958, he came out of retirement when appointed President of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) by President René Coty. He rewrote the Constitution of France and founded the Fifth Republic after approval by referendum. He was elected President of France later that year, a position to which he was reelected in 1965 and held until his resignation in 1969.
