La politique étrangère française sous la présidence de Nicolas Sarkozy

Résumé du document

The election of 2007 brought up a new man on the political scene of France, a former leader of UMP (centre-right party) has been elected president. Today, looking back and summarizing his two years in the office we can certainly conclude that his presidency has certainly brought a change in the style of French foreign policy. Sarkozy's long political apprenticeship shaped his approach to the politics and relations in the multipolar world.

Extraits

[...] In conclusion, “Monsieur” Sarkozy has a lot of objectives that he wants to fulfill. Inclination towards USA and certain “realpolitik” in various spheres of the French foreign policy are the main marks that characterize his approach. Sarkozy, named l'hyperprésident (the hyperactive president) for his frenetic pace and tendency to manage everything and everyone, has kept himself in the limelight. But we cannot forget that apart of his foreign policy there are the domestic problems, that might brake his „foreign adventures“ (eg. high budget deficits, national debt, Socialist opposition and massive immigrant population). [...]

[...] Here, the president does not hesitate to negotiate to sign contracts, for example to secure future energy resources. From the beginning he approved the merger of the French gas company GDF with Suez, he has been keen to secure gas supplies from both Russia and North Africa. He is also committed to the promotion of nuclear power along with the state-owned firm Areva, a global leader in the nuclear industry. The deal he brokered with Libya included a promise of Libyan uranium for Areva along with a Libyan commitment to purchase nuclear power plants from the French company. [...]

[...] He has launched initiatives on many fronts: with the European Union, to win approval of the Lisbon Treaty; with Libya, to free the Bulgarian nurses held captive there, secure contracts with the government, and enlist Qaddafi in his plan for a Mediterranean Union; with Russia, to discuss the supply of gas to Western Europe; with Africa, to initiate a new relationship with France's former colonies; to China, to negotiate economic issues and the sale of nuclear reactors; with Lebanon, to register French support of the new government; with the United Kingdom, to convince the British with the notion that France under Sarkozy had become more England- friendly; with Germany, to smooth differences with Angela Merkel; with NATO, to begin consideration of full French integration into the military command structure; and with the United States, to signal a more flexible French position vis-à-vis American military engagements abroad. But, which of these initiatives is Sarkozy really committed to attain? Which of them could be understood as the priorities of the recent foreign policy of France? In my opinion, with Sarkozy it is difficult to say and it is clear that inconsistency is the word that would characterize his approach. And even though, in December 2008, he was ranked on the 3rd place in Time Magazine just after Barack Obama and Henry Paulson. [...]

[...] Only a few days after his election, he made to official visits to Libya, Gabon and the Western Africa, where he came up with his the project of Union for the Mediterranean, as a response to the failure of the Barcelona process. The aim of the organization is mainly concentrated in the field of environment and energetic resources, on the other hand issues such as immigration, the nature of the political regimes of participating countries and the Israeli Palestinian conflict had been scratched out of the list of fields of cooperation. [...]

[...] La politique étrangère française sous la présidence de Nicolas Sarkozy The election of 2007 brought up a new man on the political scene of France, a former leader of UMP (centre-right party) has been elected president. Today, looking back and summarizing his two years in the office we can certainly conclude that his presidency has certainly brought a change in the style of French foreign policy. Sarkozy's long political apprenticeship shaped his approach to the politics and relations in the multipolar world. [...]