In such an uncertain world, it’s comforting to know that some things never change. For the French, surrender is always an option.

France is leaving Afghanistan. Though President Obama has committed to reducing America’s footprint in Afghanistan beginning July 2011, the withdrawal of another ally is likely to add an additional layer of challenge to maneuver that reduction. And the timing of the announcement has put France’s decision under some scrutiny.

France’s announcement came a day after the release of a tape with a message believed to be from Osama Bin Laden, who threatened to attack French citizens because of their presence in Afghanistan and treatment of Muslims. French officials were quick to insist that there is “absolutely no link” between the threat and their decision to begin withdrawing troops in 2011.

Uh huh. Osama Bin Laden threatens violence against France, if the country continues to assist the west in its war against terrorism in Afghanistan. And the next day we learn that France intends to withdraw its troops from the war. And we’re supposed to believe that one event didn’t at least nudge the other forward.

Not that it matters anyway. Islamic radicals won’t see the incident as a coincidence of timing. They’ll make the same connection most people will: The threats of violence by Bin Laden lead to the announcement of troop withdrawal. In short, the threats worked. And that’s exactly the wrong message to send to our enemies.

The west needs to show that violence and threats of violence won’t force us to back down in the battle against tyranny. And yet France, by announcing its withdrawal immediately after Bin Laden’s threats, did the exact opposite. Whether the timing was coincidental or not, our enemies will see that threats of violence work.