Social systems are only as strong as their weakest link - & that will always be the human element. At a time when politics has invaded just about every area of our lives, we are reminded that we can't put too much faith in political institutions.

In many of the riot-affected areas, unemployment has soared to between 30 and 50 percent. Small wonder, then, that the burning of cars, albeit in smaller numbers, has been going on for quite a while.

A second factor in the rioting is the apparent weakness of this French government.

John Simpson, BBC World Affairs Editor, makes a revealing observation. 'Years of reporting on riots and revolutions,' he says, 'have shown me that crowds display a mysterious collective sense which somehow overrides the perceptions and fears of the individuals who make up the mass. And crowds have a remarkable feeling for the weakness of government.' (1)

Had President Jacques Chirac and his centre-right government been in full control of French political life, the rioting might not have broken out - or, at least, it might not have lasted as long.

As the riots spread from the suburbs of Paris to other cities, the national government offered only weak responses to the crisis. Mr Chiraq, a wily politician, chose to remain aloof at the beginning of the crisis, letting his Ministers tackle the problems - and take the fall.

He gave little public support to the Minister charged with quelling the riots, Nicolas Sarkozy - perhaps because Mr. Sarkosy has been seen as a possible successor to the President. What's more, Mr. Chiraq's recent choice for Prime Minister, Dominique de Villepin seems to represent the elitist system which the underclasses resent so strongly.

The government is not only perceived by many French people to be weak on the domestic front; it also seems to have lost much of its influence on the international stage.

This is something which is very dear to the heart of the French people and is part of their social consciousness -- at least among the upper and middle classes. France, they believe, has a unique role to play on the world stage, acting as a civilizing force in the world. She also acts as a counter-weight against the cultural-imperialist aspirations of other powers, most notably the USA.

The weakening of France's status internationally may not solely be a result of its own actions.

Germany has been France's long-time partner at the heart of the European project; their leaders standing shoulder-to-shoulder in defence of what they see as European values. Yet the German political behemoth is undergoing its own internal political struggle.

Whatever the causes, it may be that 'old Europe' generally is being humbled, at the same time as America is facing its own challenges. Some good may come of this in the end. Blessed, after all, are the poor in spirit.

What can we all learn from the French situation?

Firstly, I think, that social systems are only as strong as their weakest link - and that will always be the human element.

At a time when politics has invaded just about every area of our lives, we are reminded that we can't put too much faith in political or bureacratic institutions.