FRENCH ANTI-ISLAMOFASCISTS? MON DIEU!

Among American conservative and hawkish political circles, it's an article of faith that much of Western Europe is anti-American.

Whether it be dislike for President Bush, opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq, the American refusal to be governed by international institutions, the growing Eurabian alliance or simple resentment of U.S. military and economic superiority, many of our Western European allies seem often to be more like enemies. 

None more so than France, with whom our country has developed  shared hostility in the post-9/11 world.

So it was with great surprise that I found myself in the company last weekend of French people who are fervently pro-American. It was a dinner party held in the San Francisco Bay Area and given in honor of Philippe Manteau, the French founder and president of a think tank called the Euro-American Liberty Institute (EALI). 

Based in New York City and affiliated with the French organization Liberté Chérie, EALI is comprised of French and other European expatriates, as well as European residents and American citizens of all ethnic and religious backgrounds. 

All are united in the pursuit of classical liberalism and the strengthening of the Trans-Atlantic alliance or, as stated at the EALI website, "their belief and faith in the eternal values of Liberty, Freedom and Democracy and in the absolute necessity for the United States and Europe to work together to face the challenges of our times." 

In the United States, this means forging ties with likeminded supporters. In France, it takes the form of large counter-demonstrations to the frequent labor strikes that have a stranglehold on the nation, as well as the newly formed political party Alternative Liberale. 

The only French political party with a website translated into English, Alternative Liberale will run candidates in the presidential, parliamentary, regional, local and European elections starting next year. 

During our conversation, Manteau, who is also the Foreign Affairs leader for Alternative Liberale, conceded that the party is not likely at first to win many seats. But he stressed the importance of trying to alter France's political landscape to whatever degree possible. The recent addition of moderate French Muslims to EALI's ranks, despite substantial risk to their lives, offers forth hope that change need not be confined to one sector of society.  

Faced with cynicism in the U.S. over France's future prospects and the kind of indifference endemic to American isolationism, Manteau responded by putting forth the big picture. France may be merely a "little brother" to the United States, he admitted, but its fate is tied up with that of Western civilization.

As he put it, "If France is lost, so goes the West." Indeed, he described himself not simply as a Frenchmen or a resident of the U.S. (Manteau has been living in New York City since 2001), but rather as a Westerner. 

Manteau discussed the necessity of supporting Israel, another Western ally, as well as defeating the cancer of anti-Semitism currently spreading throughout Europe and much of the world. He also made reference to the importance of preserving Judeo-Christian civilization against the surging tide of Islamism. 

So too the advantages to be gained in France and Europe by adopting the American free-market economic and constitutional republic governmental model. Manteau spoke reverently of the Founding Fathers and the U.S. Constitution, as well as economic figures such Adam Smith and the late Milton Friedman. 

Like many of the émigrés from the former Soviet Union that I've encountered, Manteau's experiences with Socialism, whether outright or de facto, has done little to endear him to leftist philosophies. But that was not always the case for, as Manteau explained to me, he was once a leftist, or more specifically a Gaullist. 

It was the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 that were the catalyst for his political transformation to self-described neocon. He arrived in the U.S. only days before 9/11 and was so shaken by the brutality of the attacks, not to mention the despicable reaction of his countrymen in immediately blaming America, that he found himself drawn towards the other side of the political spectrum. 

The dire situation in France, where Moslem "youths," as they are referred to in the mainstream media, riot on a daily basis, Jews fear for their lives, the welfare state is crippling the economy, and secularism and relativism seem to be destroying the will of French society to survive, inspired Manteau to found the Euro-American Liberty Alliance earlier this year.       

For myself, as a former leftist turned post-9/11 conservative and the founder of an online discussion group called the 9/11 Neocons, Manteau's political journey very much mirrors my own.

Interestingly, he is not the first partner in political transformation hailing from foreign shores whom I have encountered. The one thing we all seem to have in common is a feeling of political minority status in our respective locales. 

Whether it's the leftist-dominated city of San Francisco, as in my case, or Manteau's French milieu, being the odd man out is familiar territory. When Manteau referred to EALI as the "French resistance" at one point in the evening, he wasn't entirely joking. 

Meeting Philippe, his wife Aurélia and their colleagues was an inspiring experience. A reminder that despite the overwhelming mood in America that we alone can defeat Islamofacism, our "little brothers" in France and the rest of Western Europe must play a crucial role. 

One can only hope that the efforts of the Euro-American Liberty Alliance and other likeminded groups are not coming too late in the day.   For the West is indeed under siege, both from without and within. If we are to survive, all those that share in the resistance to tyranny and backwardness must stick together. Nothing less than civilization itself is at stake.     

Cinnamon Stillwell is a columnist for SFGate.com, the online arm of the San Francisco Chronicle.