the United States.  The rioters are second-generation kids who speak French but have grown to hate France, probably because they see little opportunity to go anywhere.  They often end up in gangs, jail, etc.  Also, the French did away with the national military a few years ago.  They still have a military of course, but this was a sort of old, traditional military that everyone was expected to serve in but mostly poor minorities used it as a means of getting away from their situation.  This could not have helped.  I think the Algerians in particular are angry because after the war France opened its doors to them because they needed people to do some of the lower-skilled, unwanted jobs.  Now however, they are seen as competition for already scarce employment.  Also as you probably know, the French are basically waiting for Chirac to finish up his term so they can elect somebody new.  One well-known to-be candidate, Sarkozy, is a hard-line right-winger who called the rioters 'scum', which only ignited the situation.  His solution is to add more police and more security, which I just don't see as accomplishing anything at all.