Talk:Bernard Kouchner

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[edit] Making sense of an influential man

Kouchner is an influential man for 2004 from Time. It was there that I decided to edit his article. There are a few matters I would like clarified very quickly:

• If he is an European deputy, does that mean he is part of the European Parliament, or was for the time he held that position? (I mean to ask, specifically, was he a member)?
• What is 'humanitarian ingenerence' [sic]? It's a diplomatic point that is more than a little lost on me. A good part of French foreign policy, I agree. And certainly one that most international organisations would do well to follow. Methinks it has something to do with 'insurgence', judging by the reference to Iraq, as well as the things Kouchner and his fellow colleagues did in Kosovo.

Or is it something more like interference or intervention? I'll find a word between the two and put it in the place to which it is referred. He seems to me like a really good conviction politician, as well as a good doctor. I don't know about the word 'medic', seems to strike a very slight informal register that is not in keeping/tone with the organisation. I'm not sure I'd have noticed it if Kouchner wasn't a politician too, or at least in political lobbying. EuropracBHIT 02:30, 20 Dec 2004 (UTC). Should be "humanitarian inGERENCE" Hypotyposis 03:14, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

"European deputy" is a mistranslation of the French "député européen". Kouchner was indeed a Member of the European Parliament from 1994 to 1997, as indicated in the French Wikipedia.

[edit] Don't Troll

BigGuns, it seems you were the one added this to the article "Parti Socialiste isnt happy with him going to be a part of a Right-Wing goverment and is going to start his execution from the Party."

Please stop being a troll. Wikipedia isn't the place for that.

[edit] Iraq

could someone clarify whether he was against or for the invasion of Iraq? currently the article contradicts itself. only one of the statements has a reference --Nickhh 21:24, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

Done. Against. His position was different from the official one of France in that France was willing to leave Saddam Hussein in power, in order to not fracture the country and possibly destabilize the region. --Jerome Potts 17:58, 24 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Religion

Regarding Mr Kouchner's categorisation as a French Jew, does he consider himself to be Jewish? The article states that his father was Jewish and, according to Jewish law, Judaism is inherited matrilineally.

Soviet Canuckistan 18:49, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

Judging by the way he's advocating the overthrow of the democratically elected government of the sovereign state of Iran, it seems that he does view himself with Jewish. 68.118.255.104 04:31, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

I would love to see you sourcing that

1) Iran is a democracy

2) That Kouchner advocated the overthrow of a democratically elected government

3) That Kouchner advocated the overthrow of the government of Iran

4) That Jewish faith advocates 2) and 3)

That should keep you busy for long enough. Rama 07:02, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Article contradicts itself

Early on, the article says he was never a formal member of the Socialist Party. Later, it says he was expelled from it after joining Sarkozy's government. I read that the Socialists kicked him out from another source and came here to read more about it. He had to have been a member in order to be kicked out.--Gloriamarie 07:00, 23 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] War with Iran

According to Reuters Bernard Kouchner said on Sunday his country must prepare for the possibility of war against Iran over its nuclear program. Can't we just put into the article that the man is an Arab-hater? No, wait, he told Teheran that "We do not want to signal anything other than 'peace is in your interest, and in ours too". This makes him a Peace-lover. Thank G*d, what a relief. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.226.248.5 (talk) 01:49, 17 September 2007 (UTC)

Anyway, Iranian are not arabs but persian (who had been arab's rivals for quite a long time). So, it would be kind of strange to label him "arab-hater" for what he said. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mitch1981 (talk • contribs) 20:26, 17 September 2007 (UTC)

Please try to keep a perspective here. Kouchner has always held "interventionist" theories, for instance during the war in Yugoslavia. Now, he made one blunder, outrage follows, and people make all sorts of interpretations (for instance German newspapers think that the remark is an attempt at pushing Germany to have a tougher stance towards Iran).

This is an encyclopedia, and we are supposed to keep things in perspective. This one isolated blunder is not the most important thing that Kouchner did in his life. Focusing attention on this incident just because it's in the newspapers right now is naive. In two years, it is very possible that hardly anyone will remember this line (think of the number of such lines produced by Bush, for instance...)

And of course, we much keep our working concise and minimalist, avoid judgements, assuming people's intentions (which nobody can know), and find relevant sources. For instance in this edit, there's just nothing that I can find worth saving. We need a bit of discipline, here. Rama 07:56, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

When thousands (and if they responds to our aggression with nuclear weapons, millions) of our Christian children are giving their lives fighting ANOTHER illegal war for Israel, thanks to sycophantic, nation destroying Jew chickenhawks like this guy, we'll remember his remark.

No we won't. We'll remember what led to war. What do you remember about the war in Iraq, words ? Small phrases ? For Heisenberg's sake, get a grip ! Rama 06:48, 21 September 2007 (UTC)