French elections

Here is a piece i am trying to shop around about the French elections. Still a little unformed. Any thoughts would be very welcome...

Pourquoi Indeed?

As France approaches the end of a political era, one would be remiss not to note the rather Gallic shrug emanating from the United States. Those few that are likely taking notice of what is happening would mostly note that they are grateful to finally see the back of President Jacques Chirac, who has been a particularly thorny friend to the United States. Beyond this, the alternatives on offer may seem different, but in fact will have little impact on the transatlantic alliance beyond moving the timeline a bit further from the demons of Iraq.

Whoever is voted in to the Elysee (the French White House) will likely proclaim themselves a friend to America. Center-right leader Nicolas Sarkozy has been unfailing in his Atlantic boosterism, while center-left pretender Segolene Royal has not gone down the path of America-bashing for which her party is usually known (some have even pointed to a quiet pro-Americanism during her primary campaign). While centrist Francois Bayrou seems more eager to embrace the “multipolar” rhetoric, his idea of creating an all-embracing party taking in both left and right means he is likely not to go against the grain of the others general pro-Atlanticism.

Beyond this, Turkey stands first and foremost as a subject of American concern: Sarkozy and Bayrou believe Turkey should have a “privileged partnership” with the EU, definitively closing the door to membership, while Royal has expressed a tepid acceptance towards letting it into the Union.

For Europe? Thus far, they have all indulged in some rather typical Euro-politician Brussels-bashing (an age old political trick amongst European politicians – blame distant mute Brussels for all your domestic ills). They all seem to embrace an old-school dirigisme (the French tradition of protecting politically your big companies) and none are willing to break the protective social shield the French see as their birthright.

Unfortunately, given the fact that Europe is mostly a French creation – two Frenchmen first drafted the proposals to create a European Coal and Steel Community that later blossomed into the current European Union, and the constitution was written by a former French President – this therefore has negative connotations for Europe.

For the French themselves, this is mostly a rather depressing election. This is reflected in the hugely broken up field between a left, right, a centrist, and then an assortment of others led by far right leader Jean Marie le Pen. Royal’s great initial promise faltered first over a gaffes like congratulating the Chinese on their judicial system, while the darker side to Nicolas Sarkozy’s immigration and security policies have slowly built up behind him to produce a general sense of menace. While Francois Bayrou’s “third way” (and how many times have we heard that phrase reformulated now) started with a fresh appeal, it is still not clear whether he has managed to get the traction of credibility behind it.

So we circle back to the beginning: why should the United States care? Or what can the United States do?
For the first question, America should care what happens to her allies. They are those that she faces the world with and an understanding of them will be critical to work with them in the future.

For the second, the passing of the Chirac era will mean that the latent anti-French posture often adopted by Americans must finally be jettisoned. While it is undoubtedly amusing to poke fun at the French and their foibles (as a Brit I can assure you I enjoy nothing more), to institutionalize it seriously – as one can find in Washington – is something different. The two nations are close and have a long history together (for example, fighting the English together for American independence) that is often glossed over amongst quibbles about “freedom fries.”

This may seem like a modest aim to draw from a national election, however, it is upon these impressions and discussions that relations between nations are nurtured. Unless greater care is paid to establishing warm links at a very basic level between Europe and the United States, who knows how far they might drift apart in the future? While France is unlikely to send troops to Iraq or ramp up efforts in Afghanistan, she is one of the EU3 leading negotiations with Iran and her role in Lebanon and parts of Africa has taken pressure off the American military.

It was Frenchman Jean Monnet who coined the phrase of America as the “arsenal of democracy,” Mr. Monnet was also one of the two who first drafted the idea of the European Community. This arsenal is ultimately at the disposal of those who wish to nurture a world built on a Euro-Atlantic outlook. A greater recognition and fostering of this fact is critical if we are to advance our Western liberal ideals in world increasingly crowded with alternative ideologies.