Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
New York Post
March 16, 2009
Evildoers, beware: France is rejoining NATO.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced last week that his country would reintegrate itself into the Atlantic alliance's unified command - 43 years after Charles de Gaulle summarily severed the military aspects of the relationship.
OK, maybe the move won't set Osama bin Laden to trembling in his cave, but it's significant nonetheless.
For one thing, more than 3,000 French soldiers are already serving under NATO command in Afghanistan, so integrating French officers into the overall command picture makes sense.
But more important is what the entente says about Europe itself.
Sarkozy, no less a proud Frenchman than any of his recent predecessors, has nonetheless cultivated close ties with America since he took office in 2007.
Despite past disputes over Iraq, France is realizing that common global threats - particularly those emanating from the Muslim world - require a renewal of its trans-Atlantic alliance.
And, truth be told, such a partnership could be exceedingly useful for the United States.
France, after all, was until relatively recently a major colonial power in the Arab world - and retains valuable contacts in places like Syria and Algeria.
Not to mention much accumulated wisdom in dealing with the region (even if a lot of it is in how not to behave).
In any event, France's move is at least a signal that Paris is getting serious about the West's common threat.
Welcome back.
March 16, 2009
Evildoers, beware: France is rejoining NATO.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced last week that his country would reintegrate itself into the Atlantic alliance's unified command - 43 years after Charles de Gaulle summarily severed the military aspects of the relationship.
OK, maybe the move won't set Osama bin Laden to trembling in his cave, but it's significant nonetheless.
For one thing, more than 3,000 French soldiers are already serving under NATO command in Afghanistan, so integrating French officers into the overall command picture makes sense.
But more important is what the entente says about Europe itself.
Sarkozy, no less a proud Frenchman than any of his recent predecessors, has nonetheless cultivated close ties with America since he took office in 2007.
Despite past disputes over Iraq, France is realizing that common global threats - particularly those emanating from the Muslim world - require a renewal of its trans-Atlantic alliance.
And, truth be told, such a partnership could be exceedingly useful for the United States.
France, after all, was until relatively recently a major colonial power in the Arab world - and retains valuable contacts in places like Syria and Algeria.
Not to mention much accumulated wisdom in dealing with the region (even if a lot of it is in how not to behave).
In any event, France's move is at least a signal that Paris is getting serious about the West's common threat.
Welcome back.