The story behind the #1 Mafioso and the fine stamped on BNP Paribas

The nation that's breathing its last can still do plenty of damage. Its good name is gone forever, so what else is there to lose, eh?  Wealth? Long gone.  Now, only bravado and gangster tactics remain and their use is vomit-inducing.

Tyler Durden writing at ZeroHedge:
....Recall that about a month ago we reported that shortly after France was stunned to see its largest bank slammed by its bestest buddy, the US, with a record $9 billion fine, "France responded to the fine by announcing it will train hundreds of Russian seamen to operate the French-Made Warship", the Mistral. In other words, for all the angry rhetoric of sanctions against Russia, France was merely the latest country to admit that it too can't exist without Russian business (not to mention natural gas) even if, or especially if, it means incurring US wrath which is taken out on its banking institutions. After all, if the US is engaging in scorched earth tactics France needs a stable trade partner, especially if it is one who turns on the gas, so to speak.

As a reminder, this is what all the commotion is about:....................