In a classic case of the French being the French, reports indicate that President Chirac is balking at sending troops from his nation to be part of the international force to enforce the United Nations-orchestrated “peace” deal. This is the good news relating to this international force.

Recent history suggests that, at best, international forces under the United Nations flag are neutral and ineffectual and, in many, cases outright pernicious.

It was only 13 years ago, but nobody seems to remember the American tragic experience in Mogadishu, Somalia, which shows what can happen. That effort began with great optimism. The well-meaning international community hoped to bring peace between warring factions in Somalia and bring an end to the horrific famine taking the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians. There was a real villain here, warlord Mohammed Aidid. Subsequent historical evidence suggests that Aidid may have been aided by fighters loyal to Osama bin Laden.

The international force here was no help and may have even been in league with the enemy. Pakistani troops who composed a substantial portion of the international force assiduously avoided areas of danger. In 1993, America deployed its Delta Force and Ranger units in an operation designed to capture Aidid. According to a 1998 PBS Frontline documentary, “Ambush in Mogadishu,” American efforts to capture Aidid were repeatedly thwarted by Italian allies, who were also operating in Somalia under the flag of the United Nations. “The Italians were not happy about the war the Americans were fighting against us,” an Aidid militia commander told Frontline. “We had an understanding with some U.N. contingents that we would not attack them, and they would not attack us.”

To make matters worse, the Italians were actually in league with the Somalis, writes Mark Bowden in his classic account of the Somalian war, “Black Hawk Down.” “You had the Italians, some of them openly sympathetic to their former colonial subjects, who appeared to be flashing signals with their headlights out into the city whenever the [American] helicopters took off.” The collusion between Somalia and Italy ultimately played a role in the death of 18 Americans — and the ensuing spectacle of American corpses being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu.

If that’s what the Italians did in their former colony, what can we expect of the French in their former Levantine playground of Lebanon? At best, visits to the exquisite Bekaa Valley winery Chateau Musar (Home to a red described as having “satisfying fruit and earth” by Wall Street Journal wine columnists Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher). At worst, who knows? Given the anti-Israel diplomatic posture of France in recent years and the latent anti-Israelism within the French population, it’s conceivable to envision a scenario where French troops, were they in place, actually provide overt cover to Hezbollah.

France’s track record is not good. We need look no farther than to the words of 2004 Democratic presidential candidate, General Wesley Clark, for a sickening example. After years of watching European nations diplomaticize, discuss, and dither while thousands of innocents were slain in the Yugoslav civil war, America in 1999 became the driving force to protect ethnic Albanian Muslims in Kosovo. (Prior to this, when it came to protecting actual Islamic lives in their own backyard, the French were almost as ineffective as they were in saving Jewish lives during the Holocaust.) In his 2001 memoir “Waging Modern War,” General Clark writes of his fear that some of his “allies” were providing information to the enemy. “Back in October, one of the French officers working at NATO headquarters had given key portions of the operations plan to the Serbs,” he writes. Later in the war, the Europeans objected to Clark’s desire to bring in Apache helicopters, use ground troops, and bomb a troublesome Serb airbase in Montenegro. “This was a matter of protecting our American and NATO forces,” according to Clark. After Clark ultimately ordered air strikes, France protested.

Just yesterday, the United Nations made a stunning admission about its forces in Africa. Wire services reported that the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo is investigating new allegations of improper sexual contact between underage girls and its own forces.” Although the majority of their patrons are Congolese soldiers and civilians, some of the girls involved mentioned that elements of MONUC contingents based in the region were also among their clients,” a statement from the Mission said, according to Reuters. “MONUC takes these allegations very seriously and has expressed extreme shock at the testimonies of the victims of this illegal activity.”

Yes, of course, the United Nations is shocked, shocked that soldiers under its flag would engage in illegal activity. And, the soldiers of Italy and France, and others serving under the U.N. flag, can be expected to bring great security to a Jewish state facing determined and committed enemies, such as Hezbollah, Syria, and Iran. What a farce. Judging by the track record of these international forces, the best thing for Israel might be if President Chirac follows his inner wishes and keeps French troops out of harm’s way in Lebanon and the other nations follow his lead. With a record like this, who needs them around?

Mr. Gitell is a contributing editor of The New York Sun.