>Addressed to a UK resident who may know the French better than many here: it's a bad idea to attack the French. Unlike UK and US populations, the French won't weep or punish politicians if there are other casualties to take down the terrorists. The Russians are the same. Assuming these attacks were by Isis, it's about the worst own goal they could have come up with to attack those two. IMHO.

It's actually amazing how the French haven't reacted to a decade of ridicule after refusing to join the misbegotten adventure in Iraq. All of a sudden the two centuries of friendship were forgotten (but they didn't offer to return the statue of Liberty, probably mostly forgot where it came from), the long-standing allies from two world wars and most of the cold ware were subject to severe propaganda all over the internets. I don't remember hearing any reaction from the French to all this.

Why? I guess 1) they didn't care much, 2) it suited them to be depicted as such a non-military, former great power. In part because the atrocities they did as a colonial power were losing color easier that way, and in part as some kind of camouflage. But they joined the bombing of us, Libya (IIRC) and now Daish all the same. So I'd agree with you here.