ABSTRACT
Franco-American relations have traditionally been plagued by French exceptionalism in foreign policy, and the events of 9/11 have not altered the ground rules for international diplomacy. The key to understanding French conceptions of European security is a comprehension of Gaullist foreign policy aims, these being the dual policies of German containment and limiting Anglo-American influence on the continent. The clearest indication that France intended to develop a new European security architecture based on the EU, rather than North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), emerged during the development of the Maastricht Treaty in 1989-91. The immediate French response to the World Trade Center (WTC) attacks was to initiate United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1368 on September 12, which condemned the terrorist attacks and sanctioned the United States' right of legitimate defense. The end of the Cold War system, and with it, strategic bipolarity, meant that the French strategic and diplomatic positions were weakened considerably.
