French Benefits:

Charlie Rose, last night, had a conversation with French minister of Foreign and European Affairs Bernard Kouchner, mainly about Annapolis but touching upon other subjects, too.

I'm wondering if, with Sarkozy at the helm, and Kouchner as first Mate, France is about to chart a new course, soon to be US's best continental friend, replacing Britain.

As Oliver Kamm notices here,

Under Brown, the government is collapsing into a black hole of mediocrity at exactly the time that a Franco-German axis of liberal internationalism is providing Europe with better leadership and the US with reliable counsel.

I wish them best of luck. I like the tenor of Kouchner's words, the dedication, the conviction that truth and justice can be forged.

And as Annapolis, here is a media roundup, courtesy of Pajamas Media. I was most amused by these two opinions:

Syrian newspaper’s lead editorial:

“Syria will be part of the consensus which aims to force Israel to follow International and Arab principles for peace, and to foil Olmert’s plan to force Arab countries to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.” (Jerusalem Post)

Beirut Spring:

Seven Reasons Why Syria’s Annapolis Attendance Is Inconsequential

Unfortunately, I'm one of those who foretells doom for this summit. As long as Arab rejectionist regimes "support" the Palestinians, the Palestinians will never have the guts to cast their lot with Israel, America and the Europeans. That is to say, they will never have the courage to stand up to Arab pressure NOT to compromise.

One of the paradigm shifts necessary for Palestinians to be free, independent and successful, is to declare openly what most of them feel secretly: that with brothers like the Saudis, the Egyptians, or the Syrians, they do not need enemies. They will remain locked into their useful "black sheep" role for years to come, serving as a fig leaf for Arab rejectionism.