Arrogant Chirac stumbles around world stage

By CATHERINE FIELD

PARIS - A series of resounding political mistakes has weakened the position of French President Jacques Chirac as his standoff with the United States over a war on Iraq reaches a decisive stage.

A week ago, Chirac was the rallying point for the anti-war bloc. He is backed by Germany, China, Russia and movements either opposed to the conflict, suspicious of America's global dominance or reluctant to approve a strike on Iraq until the UN weapons inspectors have concluded their task.

But the gaffes of the past week have led some to conclude that Chirac, strutting the world stage for the first time in years, is overplaying his hand.

Misstep one was at a European Union summit, where the 70-year-old president made an extraordinary attack on 10 eastern European countries wanting to join the EU next year.

He blasted them for having separately declared support for Washington, dealing a blow to the goal of a united European foreign policy.

Seething with anger, Chirac said those countries were "badly brought up" and "unaware of the danger" of aligning themselves with the United States. His defence minister, Michele Alliot-Marie then went even further, warning that France could still block these countries from joining the EU.

Chirac left friends dazed and critics nodding their heads at a classic case of hubris. His outburst deeply offended young democracies grateful to the United States for standing up to the Soviet Union and worried that they will be bullied by the bigger countries - notably France and Germany - when they join the EU.

Unabashed, Chirac forged ahead with a Franco-African summit to which he had invited Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe - a political leper in almost every western democracy.

The reason why Mugabe was invited was simple. According to French diplomats, several other leaders would have boycotted the summit had he not been allowed to attend. This would have ruined an event crafted to revive French prestige and place Chirac in the spotlight.

"Mugabe's presence in Paris for this summit is an insult to all the victims of his regime," said the Le Monde newspaper.

"Did Jacques Chirac really think that giving him a ticking-off, in a corridor, about democracy and human rights, would really change the mind of this ageing autocrat?"

What makes Chirac act this way? The best bet is that he feels the winds of history filling his sails.

For five years, his room for manoeuvre in defence and foreign policy was crimped, for he had to share power with a socialist-dominated National Assembly. That all changed last year, when Chirac was re-elected by a thumping majority and his party wrested back control of the legislature.

But Chirac's election triumph was less than it seemed. Chirac, despite a reputation for corruption, won because the French public were appalled by his contender, the ultra-right xenophobe Jean-Marie Le Pen.

Initially humble at his astonishing good fortune, Chirac has become increasingly self-confident. He no longer fears any challenge from parliament, where loyalists hold all the levers of power, nor is there any threat from the press. He enjoys a daily chorus of media praise for standing up to Washington.

Opinion polls say that four out of five voters consider him "justified" and "courageous".

If Chirac has crossed the boundary of good judgment into arrogance, a perilous road lies ahead. It is easy to play to the gallery, drawing on latent anti-Americanism to play the role of Europe's paramount politician.

The real test is whether Chirac will push his anti-war policy to the limit.

To do so would incur American wrath and risk the destruction of the UN, along with France's precious veto, and split the EU. The alternative is for Chirac to back down, which is increasingly difficult to do, for a headlong retreat would destroy his credibility at home and abroad.