Bush Vs Napolean

“I closed the gulf of anarchy and brought order out of chaos. I rewarded merit regardless of birth or wealth, wherever I found it. I abolished feudalism and restored equality to all regardless of religion and before the law. I fought the decrepit monarchies of the Old Regime because the alternative was the destruction of all this. I purified the Revolution”. Does that sound like something you have heard before? Perhaps from our President, George W. Bush? Actually, it is a direct quote from Napoleon Bonaparte, stating his opinion of his own career. Though many people may think it is horrifying to compare our Commander in Chief to a dictator like Napoleon, the comparison of Bush to Napoleon has merit. It must be stated that the era we live in now, is very different from Napoleon’s time. His was before the United Nations and massive world peacekeeping missions. He lived in a time when there were no weapons that could end life as we know it on this planet. The stakes were smaller.

There are many similarities between the Emperor of France and our own President. Both came from privileged families with clout, Napoleon’s father being of Corsican nobility, and Bush’s father being President of the United States. A notable difference is that Napoleon worked his way up through the ranks, having to prove himself worthy, which he accomplished by becoming what was perhaps, the greatest military leader in history. George Bush on the other hand, had to prove almost nothing while riding the coattails of his father. Examining the presidential election in 2000, it is reminiscent of Napoleon declaring himself Emperor in 1804. Just as the people had no say in Napoleon’s crowning, the American public really had no say in who was to become our next President. Ironically, Napoleon declared himself Emperor on November 9, 1804, and Bush declared himself the winner of the 2000 presidential election on November 9, 2000.

Both Napoleon and Bush labeled themselves as crusaders of peace. While many people questioned Napoleon’s motives, he argued that he was “building a federation of free peoples in a Europe united under a single government.” Bush has stated time and again that is what we are doing in Iraq. Freeing the Iraqi people from an oppressive regime. The most prominent comparison that can be made between them is their lack of diplomacy, only using it when and if they saw fit. A prime example of this is Napoleon breaking the Treaty of Amiens, which had brought about considerable peace in an era marked by bloody wars much of the time. The same can be said about Bush’s failure to conform to UN Charter regarding the invasion of Iraq. In an interview with UN Secretary General, Annan reiterated his well-known position that the military action against Iraq was not in conformity with the UN Charter. And