NAPOLEON COMPLEX: SARKOZY TAKES THE LEAD AGAINST LIBYA

By Stone Pinkerton Gonzo Town March 11, 2011 Following the indignation of  Britain’s PM David Cameron and his daring SAS nocturnal mission in Benghazi- one which ended in complete failure, France takes its turn at bat, this time proposing air strikes against key Kadhafi-controlled targets within Libya. Short people are often the brunt of jokes and it’s not surprising that there is a speculated link between lack of height and aggression, a condition famously dubbed as the Napoleon Complex. One can only guess how difficult it was to ascend to the top rank in French politics. Standing a mere 5’5″, one can be certain that Nicolas Sarkozy has taken his share of jibes and innuendos from boarding school upwards. The only thing here, is that when a little man from France starts talking about bombing any Sovereign Nation (Libya in this instance) across the Mediterranean, it’s going to draw comparisons to the late exiled Emperor. So after Whitehall’s crack SAS-MI6 A-Team’s bid in Libya ended almost as poorly as England’s 2018 World Cup bid did in Switzerland last fall,  the stage has been set for France’s fiery little striker to get his shot on an open goal. Now we are not just talking about France here. Remember, this is 2011 and the story is about Sarkozy… and his European Union. First order of business on Thursday, was for France to formally recognised the Libyan rebels’ opposition national council as the country’s legitimate representative. After that, Sarkozy only has to get his master plan rubber-stamped by the Bureaucratic Overlords in Brussels. AFP reported yesterday, “At an EU summit on the Libyan crisis, he will propose “striking an extremely limited number of points which are the source of the most deadly operations” by forces loyal to Kadhafi, said the source, who asked not to be named…” It is an unspoken fact that any physical American intervention in Libya is completely off limits and that the Euro Gang will deliver the bang, fronting any NATO mission scheduled in North Africa. Few will argue that the scene of French Mirage Jets or Euro Fighters flying sorties over Tripoli, aired on TV FRANCE and CNN- it could be the most exciting thing that ever happened to French national pride since its last two World Cup trophies. David Cameron knows that those could have been British Jet Fighters and that those poll numbers along with the next General Election could’ve been all his. A heroic failure for the Battleship Britannia, but certainly a golden Euro-opportunity for Sarko. Even better, Sarko seemed to have taken a string out of the British longbow, employing a Tony Blair-style legal work-around via the office of Attorney General. When asked about the authorisation to launch an attack on Libya, a French official commented that, “We are not there yet. We are first going to ask for legal authorisation to prevent the use of force by Kadhafi”. But this is no slam dunk, and there is a fear in Brussels today that European leaders are gathering too late and that Kadhafi may have the jump on any romantic Euro Freedom and Rescue Mission. The reality of the situation might even be worse than this: that Kadhafi has more friends than enemies in the higher echelons of the global elite. How else has he managed to sell over 500,000 barrels of crude oil since hostilities began in Libya early last month? Hmmm, now that’s a damn good question…

Indeed, it is commonly assumed that taller people make better leaders, after all, many heads of state around the world fall below the rollercoaster height restriction. Aside from Sarko’s imposing stats, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi measures up to 5 ’7″ inches tall and North Korean boss, Kim Yong Il (Dear Leader), barely hits 5 ’3″ inches tall.

Of course, size isn’t everything, particularly in politics. But sometimes even the historians get it wrong, as it is  believed by some experts that Napoleon was of average height for a man of his era, and simply appeared shorter in comparison to his impressive Imperial Guard. Just imagine if France’s current Emperor-in-waiting was of average height for a man of his era… do you think he still would’ve wanted to be President then? - Author Stone Pinkerton is a guest writer at 21st Century Wire, and currently sits as Editor of the website Gonzo Town. -