Figure 1.--

We have attempted to assess French foreign polivies during the 21st centuries. We understand that France is persuing a policy of "multipolsrity". This certainly a reasonable and defensable world view. We understand there is a substantial difference of opinion between America and Europe on a range of issues. We have discussed these on the HBC page on America and Europe. There appears to be more, however, involved in statements about America made by President Chirac. We understand that political motivations may be involved. Chirac may be triangulating. As a center-right politican, by attacking America, he defuses attacks by the French left. One cpomment by President Chirac in particular struck me. He embarassed Primeminister Blair by suggesting publically that the split with America would not easily be repaired because "our American friends" do not "pay back favors". This appears to be the modern version of "perfidious albion".) Now the issues between American and Europe are real issues and I would be the last to suggest that eitherside of the Atlantic has a monopoly on truth or virtue. I do wonder how a French President can view the 20th century and say that America does not pay back favors. French citizens cheered the arrival of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) that begun to arrive in France in 1917. It was the AEF that played a key role in blunting the German offensive and breaching the Siegfried Line (1918). There was no doubt about the French view of America when President Wilson went to France after the War, the crowds that greeted him were tumultuous (1919). Less spectacular was the American food aid during and after the War whjich saved the lives of millions of children, including large numbers of French children. During World War II, DeGualle's Free French reveived Lend Lease equipment (1941-45) and fought the War with Ametican weapons. Without America, D-Day and the liberation of France (1944) would not have been possible. The American soldiers arriving in Paris and other liberated cities were received tumultuously. After the War the Marshall Plan (1948) played an important role in France's economic revovery. Throughout the Cold War, it was the American security umbrella that allowed France and the rest of Western Europe develop free of Soviet domination. History provides few instances of any country that not only owes it very natiional existence, but has so often been the recipoent of humanitarian, economic, and military assistance as has marked the French-American relationship. Thus we were shocked by President Chirac's statement.

French Policies

We understand that France is persuing a policy of "multipolarity". This seems to be policy first conceptualized by DeGualle during the Cold War. This certainly a reasonable and defensable world view. We understand there is a substantial difference of opinion between America and Europe on a range of issues. We have discussed these on the HBC page on America and Europe.

President Chirac

There appears to be more, however, involved in statements about America made by President Chirac. We understand that political motivations may be involved. Chirac may be triangulating. As a center-right politican, by attacking America, he defuses attacks by the French left. France's substantial Muslim minoritybmay be another factor. One comment by President Chirac in particular struck me during a state visit to Britain (November 2004). He embarassed Primeminister Blair by suggesting publically that the split with America would not easily be repaired because "our American friends" do not "pay back favors". (This appears to be the modern version of "perfidious albion".)

America and France in the 20th Century

Now the issues between American and Europe are real issues and I would be the last to suggest that eitherside of the Atlantic has a monopoly on truth or virtue. I do wonder how a French President can view the 20th century and say that America does not pay back favors. French citizens cheered the arrival of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) that begun to arrive in France in 1917. It was the AEF that played a key role in blunting the German offensive and breaching the Siegfried Line (1918). There was no doubt about the French view of America when President Wilson went to France after the War, the crowds that greeted him were tumultuous (1919). Less spectacular was the American food aid during and after the War whjich saved the lives of millions of children, including large numbers of French children. During World War II, DeGualle's Free French reveived Lend Lease equipment (1941-45) and fought the War with Ametican weapons. Without America, D-Day and the liberation of France (1944) would not have been possible. The American soldiers arriving in Paris and other liberated cities were received tumultuously. After the War the Marshall Plan (1948) played an important role in France's economic revovery. Throughout the Cold War, it was the American security umbrella that allowed France and the rest of Western Europe develop free of Soviet domination. History provides few instances of any country that not only owes it very natiional existence, but has so often been the recipoent of humanitarian, economic, and military assistance as has marked the French-American relationship. Thus we were shocked by President Chirac's statement.

Other French Observations

Since France abolish conscription (the draft), French youth have been required to attend a 1-day orientation conducted by the French Army. I do not know how uniform these briefings are or how the content is prepoared. We nbote one account by a 19-year old girl who attended. She reports that the last 4 hours consisted of a harangue on U.S. foreign policyfocusing on the Iraq War. The War was described as a plot by American capitalists to cheat Iraqis out of their oil. [Novak, p. A. 19.] This struck us as rather a view of the War that could have come out of the Politboro during the Cold War rather than the French Army. A French reader, a former French Air Force officer, associated wuth the French military tells us, "It is absolutly wrong that a young people are new recruits are given an ideological speech against America. The French army considers from ever the U.S. Army as a friend. We are interested in finding out more about the briefings given to French youth, both about the content of the briefings and who determines it. A French reader writes, "I don't find it is the best information taking one case as represenative of all these lectures given to French youth. Probably it was true what Novak reported. This girl 19 years old may have heard these words agains America. Probably also it was told in the sense of a friendly disagreement between allies. Because no one French Officer is in right to make such a speech to French youth and new recruits." HBC does not mean to indicate that this same briefing was given to all French youth. We do not know. We refer to this because as Novak reported it was not a statement of disagreements between allies, but a hostile inditement of America. We would be very interested in learning more about these broiefings, especially as we states, what the content is of these briefings and who determines the content. It may well be that the girl's experience was an isolated experience. Hopefully French readers will provide us more informatiuon.

French Public Opinion

We have no dobt that many American policies are very unpopular in France as far as we can tell this appears to be a widely held opinions. What we are curious about is if most French people would share President Chirac's view that America does not "pay back favors". It seems to us that based on 20th century history that it is France that has not paid back favors, but we are interested in assessments of Chirac's stastement by French readers.

Reader Comments

An American reader writes, "I'm not enough of a student of international relations to comment very knowingly on this page, but, just having visited France and having met a number of French intellectuals, I can voice an opinion. I was very favorably impressed by the warmth and hospitality of the university people I met (both students and faculty) toward American scholarship and culture. The French (like most of Europe) do not like President Bush or his policy toward Iraq, but they are not against America and Americans per se. After all one of the metro stops in Paris is named Franklin D. Roosevelt. There is a substantial colony of American professionals living in Paris, and many of them attend the American Cathedral, a beautiful gothic church (the seat of the American Episcopal Church in Europe), on a regular basis. I went to Mass there a week or so ago and listened to the American bishop of the church address the congregation with equal ease in both English and French. The French national program for training the future secondary school teachers of the nation has just adopted one of my books as a required text for their study of Shakespeare, and I found everyone I met at the Universities of Caen and Paris extremely cordial and respectful of American scholars and scholarship. I think the main problems that exist now in Anglo-French relations have to do mostly with two very unpopular politicians--M. Chirac, the French president (who is regarded as criminally corrupt by most well educated Frenchmen but who cannot be prosecuted because under French law the head of state is above the law) and George Bush (who is thought in France to be an ignorant bully, an unsophisticated, narrow-minded, religious fundamentalist and an insensitive imperialist). Once these two men are out of power, I believe America and France will return to the good relations that have characterized the general history of both countries."

Sources

Novak, Robert D. "France's American problem," The Washington Post, November, 29, 2004, p. A19.

Created: 3:18 AM 11/30/2004
Last updated: 7:24 PM 12/1/2004