“The Time to Fight”: the new book of Nicholas Sarkozy wherein he explains why countries, like Malta, should treasure their neutrality.
Nicholas Sarkozy published a new book about himself, his presidency, and French politics. Sarkozy discusses various political topics in this book and discusses many personal experiences. As one can imagine, this is a book about politics from a politician on the right side of politics. He had been recently in the news, not because of his cases of corruption, but because he spoke about the conflict in Ukraine and criticized France’s stand in this conflict. He was accused of being pro-Putin by the ex-Socialist Prime Minster, Jospin.
The meetings with Pope Benedict XVI are among the personal experiences recounted in this work. He admits that this was one of those few meetings where meeting with world leaders had left an everlasting impression on him. He discusses the need for the young to travel and see places. Sarkozy also writes about internal French politics and the issue of overpopulation.
Reflecting on politics, he rightly states that no one can create a Leader. One is born a leader. In politics, there is no place for the weak. One needs to be brutal in politics. It is the strong who lead. The problem with the Left is that it tends to describe all those with whom they disagree as extreme right. During the interview, Sarkozy asked the journalists to describe and explain their understanding of the extreme right. None was able to give him an answer. In Malta, the liberals and the pro-Daphne cronies use the same arguments of the French Left and attack all those who disagree with them as Fascists.
He explains how the Left and their cronies depict their opponents as diabolical. For this reason, he never appreciated how the Left described Marie Le Pen. He reaffirms that he disagrees with her politically, but it is wrong for the Left to continue attacking Le Pen the way she is being attacked. He also admits that Le Pen has evolved in her thinking, indicating that she is not a threat to the French Republic. Speaking about himself, he says he is not conservative but always on the move.
He attacks the French Left but simultaneously speaks about those politicians on the Left whom he admires. He does not mention French politicians but mentions Tony Blair and Lula. In this interview, Sarkozy admits that Lula is an extreme Leftist but reminds the journalist that Lula was a factory worker who lost two fingers at work.
One needs to stay in power for a maximum of ten years. Thatcher stayed in power for more than ten years, and after the twelfth year, she did not want to listen to anybody. He admits that power is dangerous. It is like a drug. This is why one cannot stay or be left to stay too long in power.
He refers also to the Obama administration. He reveals that President Obama put immense pressure on Europe so that Turkey is admitted to the EU. Sarkozy states that he was one of those politicians who dared to resist such pressure.
In this interview, Sarkozy clearly states that he is not with Putin in the conflict with Ukraine but supports Russia. Simply put, he wants France to return to its 19th-century diplomatic politics. France broke its international isolation imposed on her by Britain in the 19th century by striking a deal with Russia. I still remember professors at the Sorbonne University insisting that this is the way forward for France. He is for a neutral and independent Ukraine.
The problem is not Ukraine but the USA. The USA is supporting this war for its interest. It is the arms factories in the USA that are making a profit out of this war. Sarkozy accuses America of having provoked this whole crisis. This entire crisis has been created because America wants Ukraine to join NATO. Sarkozy is straight on this point. Ukraine should never be part of NATO. In this context, even if one disagrees with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, one understands why Russia invaded its neighbour. Russia does not want one of its ex-republics in NATO. He also speaks very clearly that Crimea is part of Russia. Then, he goes on and makes another reflection. On the international scene, China is the biggest winner of this war. It is gaining the most from this conflict as the Western powers continue to fight each other in what can be described as a “civil war”. Thus, he makes a second proposal. Europe should be independent of America. And we have a government in Malta paving the way for Malta to join NATO!
Therefore, within these conflicts, and this is my reflection, it is more than justified that Malta upholds its neutrality. The worst thing Malta can do is join one side or another in European wars. Even Sarkozy is stating that neutrality should remain a value in Europe. He is advocating it in favour of Ukraine. Wars in Europe should be seen as internal conflicts or what, in the past, were considered as civil wars. The worst that Malta can do is to take sides in such disputes. In his reflections on the conflict in Ukraine, he has no problem saying that Putin made a mistake in attacking Ukraine, but still, he rightly insists that France needs to support Russia and consider it as an ally
In this interview and book, Sarkozy attacks the power of the judges in France. He states that they used their power for political reasons, which is wrong. At the same time, he shows that he has no heart feelings for the injustices he had suffered at the hands of the French judicial system, his political rivals, or the French media. What he is interested in is that he continues with political battles for a greater France. This is why he entitled his book “Le Temps des combats” or The Time to Fight”. What comes out of this interview is Sarkozy’s love for France. Here is an hour-long discussion with him. Just click on the link to view it.