ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses France’s bilateral relationships with its main partners: Germany, the United Kingdom, and other European partners, as well as the United States, but also France’s relations with partners in Africa and Asia. It shows that contextual changes led successive French presidents to partially adapt and push for more of the same vision when it comes to defence cooperation in a new context, rather than rethinking the fundamentals of France’s orientations towards the roles of allies and partners. As the Cold War ended, unlike most of its European partners, France pushed for a deep rethinking of Europe’s security architecture. The status quo of France’s formal status became less and less tenable, from a practical and a strategic standpoint. In military interventions, France’s absence from the integrated structures posed several constraints. Things did not become easier when the European and transatlantic security landscape evolved in the late 2010s.
