BHL

BHL, the august defender of human rights

By No author
18/12/2011

BHL, the august defender of human rights

Black jacket, white shirt open at the neck, perfectly coiffured , Bernard-Henri Lévy spoke at a conference in London on Tuesday 12 December.  Invited by Intelligence², the French philosopher, often referred to as BHL, argued in favour of the right of international intervention  and the universality of human rights.

With his usual verve and inimitable personal style , BHL shared his « philosophical » conclusions on the overthrow of the Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi , praising the action of the Cameron-Sarkozy duo and the bravery of the chairman of the National Transitional Council Mustafa Abdel Jalil.

BHL and Dombasle

According to BHL, the Libyan revolution and the western humanitarian and military aid given to the rebels showed the defeat of the theory of the clash of civilizations developed by Al Qaeda and the American Samuel Huntington.   “The desire for liberty is universal” highlighted the philosopher.  For the first time in the history, in BHL’s opinion, the right of intervention against the barbarity of a dictator was approved by the United Nations.  “It is the revenge for previous massacres: Chechnya, Darfur, Bosnia…” he proudly proclaimed.

He concluded ; “Gadhafi’s downfall sets a legal precedent for the future”.

 An eloquent message of hope or bland generalities?  The London audience apparently found inspiration in the message and the leader of the “Nouveaux Philosophes” was warmly applauded.  

Those present did not seem to want to ask anything other than supportive questions. Nobody reacted, for instance, to his declaration that the UN is “useless” and “has beendishonored gradually since his creation”.  Equally, nobody challenged his assertion that: “democratic rights are seen as an ideal all over the world”.

So, a good evening for BHL and his self-image,  not least because he was accompanied by his new muse, Daphne Guinness (no Arielle Dombasle in sight). Whether the content of the talk deserved the veneration it received is less clear.