Speaking in the United Arab Emirates, Sarkozy said that following the November 13 Paris attacks in which radicalized Muslims killed 130 people and injured hundreds more in a series of rampant attacks:
"There can be no such thing as a compromise between us and them. I would describe this as a third world war. We have to wage a total war and wage it now. We need to wipe these savages from the face of the earth."
France is part of the US-led coalition currently carrying out airstrikes against Daesh in Syria and Libya. It is also part of the alliance of nations finally trying to restore peace in Libya and push back Daesh from taking possession of more oilfields.
Boots on the Ground
However, like many western nations, France is unwilling to put boots on the ground and Sarkozy called on Arab Nations to step up the Saudi Arabia-led coalition of Arab forces to deploy troops in the region.
"We need to strike from the air, but also occupy on the ground. Troops on the ground are necessary and they can only be Arab. This is first and foremost your war… and it is a war between civilization and barbarity," Sarkozy said.
Sarkozy's tough talk comes as he begins his campaign for the Presidency of France in 2017, as he tries to rekindle his popularity following the fall off Gaddafi.
Following the fall of Gaddafi, Sarkozy joined UK Prime Minister David Cameron on a visit to Tripoli and Benghazi, where Sarkozy told crowds: "You wanted peace, you wanted liberty, you want economic progress. France, Great Britain and Europe will be on the side of the Libyan people."
Despite a request by the interim government for western forces to remain in Libya to stabilize the country, the UN Security Council voted to withdraw, leaving the country in disarray and triggering a civil war which created a vacuum that Daesh has been quick to occupy.
"There will be no peace north of the Mediterranean if there is no peace south of the Mediterranean," Sarkozy told his audience ironically.
