Clash of Civilizations

Clash of Civilizations

French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin has been a chronic pain in the ass since the early days of our confrontation with Iraq. We now have a window into what motivates him.

He presents France as [and] the US as the only two modern civilisations with "universal aspirations", a claim that other pretenders are likely to dispute. France and the US are thus cast in the roles of rivals in "cultural and moral domains."

I find this interesting on a couple of levels. First of all, he clearly dismisses Islam as civilization, because it's aspirations are certainly universal. Secondly, he imagines that the future lies with one of only two models of civilization.
If Villepin's French version wins out then the world will descend into barbarism as the French prefer to surrender to the uncivilized.