This piece in the Library of Law and Liberty is almost two (good) articles in one. Dalrymple notes that while Francois Hollande is loathe to punish criminals in France, over whom he has undoubted authority, he seems gung ho to punish the leaders of Syria, over whom he has none. Perhaps his beligerence in the latter situation is designed to hide his weakness in the former? Dalrymple goes on to expose many of the underlying errors in the arguments of French intellectuals like M. Hollande who argue against the efficacy of prison sentences. He makes too many good points to list here, so you’ll want to read it for yourself.