The Significance of Sovereignty

by Alain Bournazel, General Secretary of the Rassemblement pour l Independence et la Souverainete de la France (RIF)

In order to truly understand the meaning of sovereignty, I suggest we take a brief look at Iraq. Iraq has been more or less the centre of attention for the international press for a number of years now. It has been through two wars.

The first war began in 1991 in reaction to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Military action took place with the approval of the UNO and Iraq withdrew from Kuwait. The allied forces did not bring down the regime of Saddam Hussein - it remained intact. At that time, George Bush senior was president of the USA.

The second war began in March 2003. It was started by the USA under the presidency of George Bush senior, without the agreement of the United Nations. The reason put forward for the American invasion was Iraq s alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction. This second war led to the complete occupation of Iraq. Saddam Hussein s regime was overthrown and the country was governed for several months by the military coalition which was controlled by the USA. However, weapons of mass destruction were not found.

What conclusions can we draw from all this? Iraq, once a stable country, has been completely shaken. The war first took root against the occupying forces, then, among the Iraqi's themselves. Officially, sovereignty of the country was returned to the people last June. However, peace has still not returned to Iraq. Bloody clashes continue and an end to them is not in sight. Saddam Hussein's regime was in no way exemplary, but the current situation there is a great deal worse than it was under his dictatorship. From these events, two things can be learned for the future:

• It is dangerous to meddle with the sovereignty of a state: the resultant upheavals can be drastic. Iraq is a clear example of this.

• The second thing to be learned is the danger which a dominant empire poses to the world - an empire which is hardly concerned with international law. I am naturally referring to the American empire.

Let us leave Iraq and return to Europe for a moment. The film in which we find ourselves living is both extremely strange and absurd. The idea of national sovereignty arose in Europe in the course of the long history of the peoples of our continent. It spread throughout the world and is recognised today as a universal value. More than 160 countries throughout the world hold seats in the general assembly of the United Nations as independent states. And despite this, 25 states are prepared to surrender their sovereignty in order to establish a super-state with a European pseudoconstitution.

The dramatic significance of this project will become clear to all. Those countries which have already adopted the euro have forfeited their economic sovereignty. The fateful consequences of this decision are already evident: prices are rising higher and higher, and unemployment has never been so high. At the international talks of the World Trade Organisation, Europe is dominated by America. In accepting the European constitution, member states will forfeit their political sovereignty. A number of European delegates have prepared a proposal which would have France and Great Britain renounce their membership as permanent members of the UN Security Council, for the benefit of the European Union. This would mean that France would no longer be able to oppose American policy, as it did over the war on Iraq.

By introducing a European constitution, member states will lose their military sovereignty. In fact, the EU constitution explicitly plans the integration of all military forces into NATO, which itself is under the control of the USA. The consequences of this are clear: If the USA wants to go to war, European states will also have to go to war.

In addition, the European constitution withdraws most competences previously enjoyed by its member states, placing them in the hands of its super-bureaucracy. In effect, this means that the European constitution, which portrays democracy as a crucial achievement and a great strength of western nations, is actively involved in bringing about its demise.

War and dictatorship are the two things which put Europe in danger through the European constitution. We are appalled to witness how many politicians take this lying down - this is nothing but the temptation of decadence which sometimes overcomes tired and apathetic peoples.

I wish to emphasise once again that we will continue to fight this decadence. We have trust in the sovereign peoples of Europe. We are convinced that the strength of Europe is founded upon the independence of its nations. We have faith in the future of our continent. We demand peace.

We should not be afraid of saying that sovereignty is of everlasting value. It is the duty of citizens to protect it. Sovereignty means freedom, democracy, independence and peace. Let us remember Iraq. Let us preserve peace in Europe.