@Luffy 500 The French cannot hope to
replicate Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Between 1947 and 1971 Pakistan milched, milched and milched Bangla until there was nothing left to "
loot". It will be a while before the French can match Pakistan.
Oh and I don't
regard the French as
true secularists. They are a hybrid Catholic/Secular state heavily influenced by
Eastern philosophy via the Semitic Christian religion imported from Middle East.
@Taygibay @Vergennes What say you?
OK so two parts to be answered in reverse order :
We are true secularists but it is recent, about 250 years formally
but a mere 105 technically.
Of course, the history of France is very much Christian and was in
fact central for both the French State and the Church. The simple
fact that we are the only land other than Rome to have housed the
Papacy would show as much.
But since the mid to late 1800s, the republican fervour changed that
and French people of the 21st century are inherently secular as is our
country by constitutional design.
As cloud4000 mentioned, this has however little if anything to do with
the real subject.
I accept the premise of the Colonial Pact being a yoke on the ex French
colonies and a burden even but not an outright steal for many reasons.
First, pacts can be revoked by any member unilaterally upon notification
or through the courts and/or UN in some other cases.
That no head of state or government did so shows that there must be a
few advantages to the situation, if only for the fact cats / babu and Prez.
Second, the article misleads people in linking Foreign Reserves and the
overall worth or riches of the nations are identical. But obviously for just
one example, if the ex-colony converts the cash generated and recycled
inside the nation into say gold, it is not part of your Foreign Reserves.
Sadly, it being Africa, leaders work mostly to ensure their retirement which
has always puzzled me since they get elected
for life/20 times & die in office.
One African leader did as much for instance, Bokassa, under the form of
symbols of power and miscellanea trinkets and yet those interior reserves
apparently disappeared after his demise. ...
What happened to all that loot BTW?
And for those discussing differences in quality of masters, the other side counts Idi Amin so ...
Third, one basis of the pact for the colonies was to gain a common and
stable currency. The idea should have been that has each country gained
enough economic clout to eventually start printing its own money.
It could have but did not, not even under the symbolic weight of France it-
self letting go of the franc in favour of the Euro. Why for instance did Gbagbo
object on that project alone and not on previous ones through his many years
in power in which I'm certain the picture was almost identical? Could it be that
there was a potential gain for him like he'd never dreamed of before?
SO clearly, colonial rule and its aftermaths was not / never in the best interest
of the conquered. Clearly, that pact was built by France to extend control of
the local ressources. But it just as clearly did not forbid a positive outcome for
the lands that signed it as a way to secure and hasten their independence.
And, as recently as 5 years ago, in a place that had voted twice, 1974-2009, to
remain part of France, the full status of département [ unitary republican sector ]
came into effect despite the inhabitants being of bantu origin and Islamic by faith.
Good evening Kaptaan, Vergennes and all, Tay
