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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group
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To: JohnM who wrote (84140)3/21/2003 11:38:54 AM
From: Nadine Carroll  Read Replies (2) of 281500
 
The French and the Germans are our allies with which we have a serious policy disagreement but with which we have profound agreements on a host of other issues. To reify the Iraq disagreements into basic premises of foreign policy is only to make a bad moment much worse.

Please describe the profound agreements with have with France (let's not discuss Germany, which is its own case). I think you are working on leftover Cold War assumptions. Major areas as I see them

EU: France is trying to set this up as French-led rival to the US. The US wants it to be a trading bloc. Different goals.

NATO: No purpose anymore. France just uses it to make mischief. Look for the US to set up other alliances and let NATO wither - unless Europe is threatened by a new external enemy.

Markets and Trade: The EU and the US have completely different philosophies and goals. The US is pushing capitalism and pretty free markets; the EU is pushing regulation and a new socialism.

Foreign Policy: France has acted as an enemy vis-a-vis Iraq. In the Mideast, France pursues an active policy of appeasement towards the Arabs, contrary to US goals. In Africa, France alternately appeases dictators and acts as a colonial power, again contrary to US interests.

War on Terror: Here there may some shared goals as France also has an interest in thwarting attacks. This is a matter of police and intelligence cooperation.

Five areas, only one area of shared goals, four of rivalry extending to outright emnity. I would say that France is no longer an ally of the US.
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