The Indian decision to buy Boeings instead of Airbus is causing the French to lose their cool.

"Air India has made the right decision as all our aircraft are fuel-efficient and incur low maintenance costs," Boeing India president Dinesh Keskar said."It will save Air India around $US300 million every year in fuel costs, which is why Air India chose us as a partner in its future growth," he said.

The French are not buying. Moreover, what if they also choose to buy Phantoms instead of Mirages?The French Cudgel will come down on them

The French remind the Indians that the US puts sanctions on governments that cross it. Well, Israelis can remind the Indians that so do the French. They placed sanctions on Israel in 1967. Since the Mirage was the primary Israeli aircraft at the time, the Israeli victory proved the efficacy of the Mirage and made the plane a serious contender on the world market.

The real French problem is that the US promised to help India become a superpower and consequently as a French diplomat quoted in the Financial Times said:

"In the long standing battle between those who feel repulsion at Washington and those who feel attraction to it, attration is winning out."

Good.