# Hypothetical French Veto

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-french-veto/162351>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [March 18, 2003, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-french-veto/162351 "2003-03-18T19:27:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-french-veto/162351/21 "2003-03-19T18:48:17Z")

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Actually the whole idea of the resolution was a bad one, but we did it because **PM Blair** needed it to be done. It is over now, and at last count there are 17 Iragi soldiers who have surrendered.

> [@](#):
>
> _originally posted by Squink_  
> **With great democracies like Uzbekistan, Ethiopia and el Salvadore backing us up, how can we go wrong ?**

[ul]😛 [sup] **Baking a cherry pie?** [/sup][/ul]

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**Author:** ![Beagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Beagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beagle)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-french-veto/162351/22 "2003-03-19T19:04:45Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Did you feel the French threat to veto any resolution providing for the use of force was wrong?

This is the important issue. Yes, it was clearly wrong. Whatever leverage the Security Council had over Iraq was based on the implied or threatened use of force. Hans Blix made it clear that the Iraqis were disarming, somewhat.

In order to turn the trickle of disarmament into something resembling real compliance it was necessary for the Security Council to present a united front, somewhat. I’m not saying France had to do whatever the US said. I am saying that France, to keep the UN credible force-wise, should have staked out a less absolutist position on the use of force.

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**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-french-veto/162351/23 "2003-03-19T23:25:48Z")

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There was a member of the French Parliment interviewed last night on TV. He did not want to agree that the U.S. had enough votes to pass the resolution, but he did say that it was wrong for France to promise to veto, before the vote was taken.

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**Author:** ![SentientMeat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SentientMeat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SentientMeat)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2003, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-french-veto/162351/24 "2003-03-20T13:03:24Z")

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By way of comparison, here is a [list of US vetoes](http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,917834,00.html), implicitly supporting _eg._ apartheid and Israeli oppression.

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