Watched a special on PBS last night about the history of Palestine. It was a chronicle of mismanagement and backstabbing by colonial powers, chiefly Britain in this case, but France also added to the mix. I couldn't help but be reminded of this when I read about how France has made a mess of things in the Ivory Coast. The U.S. has the might to build an empire, but to do so would violate our most fundamental beliefs about democracy and self-determination. But the French just can't seem to rid themselves of the compulsion to play games with other peoples' lives. Maybe there's just too much of the old aristocracy there.