ABSTRACT
After the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, France, together with the United States, Russia, and other major powers, as well as Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states intervened in Syrian and Middle Eastern affairs. This chapter sorts out the French policy on Syria during the war, and comprehensively analyzes the internal and external factors affecting the evolution of French policy. It examines French hard and soft power and briefly discusses the future direction of French policy on Syria. Since 2011, France and other Western countries have regarded the Syrian crisis as part of the Arab Spring and tried to establish Western-style democracy in Syria by forcing Assad to step down and supporting the Syrian opposition, thereby promoting the so-called democratization of the Middle East. France coordinated its policies on Syria on various occasions with the United States, and they adopted sanctions against the Assad regime together.
