Oh So Civilized, Monsieur

It's rare to see a public figure lauded for being "cosmopolitan," but that's exactly how a professor at Harvard, Stanley Hoffmann, introduced the prime minister of France, Dominique de Villepin before his speech at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government last Friday.

Mr. de Villepin's speech, "The United States and Europe: How Can We Face the Changing World Order?" marked his only appearance before a large audience during a recent visit to America and provided a rare glimpse into the Cambridge-Paris crowd.

France's number two official, clad in a slick black suit and an immaculate gray tie, painted a dark picture of a world torn asunder by American unilateral action — a world that could be saved only through global institutions, such as the United Nations. He stated: "The U.N. needs the true clout of an armed peacekeeping force. Today nearly 100,000 blue-helmeted soldiers are deployed throughout the world. The U.N. Secretariat, like all the world's armies, needs a permanent military staff. In the long run, a real U.N. army must be our objective."

Central to the re-establishment of a "global equilibrium" — number three on a list of Mr. de Villepin's priorities — was finding a "collective solution to the crises in the Middle East." The list also included agendas such as containment of the "lack of world order" and a call for "America, France and Europe" to work together in a "path toward a new world order." Yes, Mr. de Villepin really did use the phrase "new world order," now derided even by liberal Democrats for its association with President George H.W. Bush.

Mr. de Villepin's solution for the Middle East merely involved a new international conference, which Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt should attend. It also called for a restoration of European aid to the Palestinians, never mind the Hamas call for the destruction of Israel, the transfer of taxes to the Palestinians from Israel, and a "fixed date for the creation of a Palestinian state." He did acknowledge "the renunciation of violence, the creation of two states living in peace and security" and recommended the freeing of a young Israeli army man, Corporal Gilad Shalit, who was abducted by Palestinians in June.

Listening at length to Mr. de Villepin provides an opportunity to see what is required for America to reknit its relations with our European counterparts. The fact that Mr. de Villepin places the situation in the Middle East as the third major point in his speech about relations with America, says that Israel should be forced to attend an international conference stacked with countries — Jordan and Egypt — that, at best, will not take its side and, at worst, countries like Saudia Arabia still will fail to recognize its existence.

Mr. de Villepin's call for a mandatory date for the creation of a Palestinian state gives the Palestinians an incentive to militate against Israel and possibly even foster violence because it guarantees they'll get a state no matter how they act. What this all boils down to is that France can only be friendly with an America that hands Israel's head to the Palestinians on a silver platter.

Mr. de Villepin, though, did receive a number of tough questions from the audience. A questioner, who praised Mr. de Villepin for his stance on the Middle East, nonetheless, challenged him over his country's "disrespect for French people who have Muslim identities and express them." Regarding this matter, Mr. de Villepin stressed France's unique revolution in 1789, which "has led us to construct a republic in which we only recognize citizens and not communities."

In response to a question about the disparity in the career prospects of students who attend French universities versus elite "grand ecoles," Mr. de Villepin took on the persona of a funky life coach. "If you want to go in finances … study movies … study art … make sports, you should go in different disciplines," he said. "I always tell my son, meet different people, go in the Foreign Legion, go in a plane and parachute, take a risk, and then you will learn something, you will learn something about yourself, that when you have limits, you will go even further."

One thing Mr. de Villepin did not want to speak about was the national chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Howard Dean, who told Politico.com that he was "trying to build relationships with other governments in preparation for a Democratic takeover." When I asked Mr. de Villepin about Governor Dean's comments after the speech, Mr. de Villepin launched into a lofty peroration. "I don't think life is about repairing or not repairing, life is about taking the right lessons," he said. "Learn from the past, learn from different situations and be able to have the lucidity to make the right diagnosis." Asked again whether he had spoken to Mr. Dean or to other Democratic Party officials, Mr. de Villepin replied, "I'm not going to comment."

If Mr. Dean wants to pursue rebuilding America's relations with France, he need look no further than Mr. de Villepin's speech at Harvard. Of course, when and if Mr. Dean's "Democratic takeover" occurs, Mr. de Villepin, a scholar, author, and intellectual, may be ensconced at a prominent liberal arts university in America, an environment that would welcome him and his oh so civilized ideas.

Mr. Gitell (gitell.com) is a contributing editor of The New York Sun.