Stephen Kinzer is one of those legendary foreign correspondents
whom one innocently envies. He has covered Guatemala, Iran, Nicaragua,
Rwanda, yes, Rwanda, in the aftermath of its intramural genocide which
took a million Tutsi lives. One must have a strong stomach to live
in these places.
And here is an almost
unnoticed post-script to the calamity of Rwanda. Writing in
Wednesday's Boston Globe, Kinzer
examines "France's role in the
Rwandan genocide."
Here is the essence of
his story: "France armed Rwanda's murderous regime, sent soldiers to
support it as the genocide was unfolding, and accepted some its most
heinous perpetratos as 'refugees' after rebels forced them from power. Later, France helped the genocidaires regroup in the
Congo and launch a savage cross-border campaign aimed at retaking power
so they could complete their murderous work." But there is more, which
is why reading the column is a must.
And who
are the villains of the case? Not surprising at all: Francois
Mitterand who started out as a Vichyite and somehow couldn't, even as a
socialist, resist his crueler instincts. And Dominique de Villepin,
hero of the American left, for his opposition to the Iraq war.
Repulsive men, both of them.