~Here is What I Have Been Up To~

I have been taking a five week long class which has enlightened me and made me more politically defined. I hope you will take a look at my 12 page paper. Give me feed back if you likes.

France’s Problems with Foreign Policy

To understand France you must understand its people, culture, location in the world, history, and government. France’s colorful past shaped its interesting future and painted its people distinctive. They are a unique culture of politically liberal minded people. France has played a strong role in Western Europe for decades. They are a product of democratization and, therefore, support the pursuit of human rights and the European Union in order to bind Europe together as a counter balance of power and a model of liberal democratic rule.

Location

France is located in the Western part of Europe, bordered by Belgium and Luxembourg to the north, Germany to the northeast, Switzerland and Italy to the east, and Spain and Andorra to the southwest. The coast line runs along the Mediterranean Sea to the southeast, the North Sea to the north, the English Channel to the northwest, and the Atlantic to the west. France is the largest country in Western Europe.

Brief History

The history of this diverse state has been marked by tribal disputes, royal leadership and democratic freedom. Its humble beginnings were from Celtic tribes which named this diverse land Gaul. Soon Roman rule came to Gaul under the leadership of Julius Caesar and the Gallo-Roman civilization was set in place until Germanic tribes and Franks from the north sent Rome on its way . After the fall of Rome, Clovis I gained leadership over Gaul. The Merovingian and Carolingian dynasties rose and fell and finally, Hugh Capet was elected King of France, by wealthy feudal lords thus founding the Capetian dynasty. This dynasty helped France to experience a rebirth that reached its height in the 13th century. France’s leading role in the Crusades established their cultural supremacy in most of Europe, however, they did not overcome the English challenge for power until The Hundred Years War, which started in 1337 and lasted until 1453. In the 17th century two great statesmen, Cardinals Richelieu and Mazarin, rose and reestablished French power. Under Louis XIV, from 1643 to 1715, France became the greatest power in Europe. Soon another Louis, the XV, would rule the country; however, under his rule the country would descend to the verge of bankruptcy. The Seven Years War, from 1756 to 1763, depleted the French treasury and cost France the colonial empires it had established in India and North America. They further stretched their treasury by supporting the American Revolution which resulted in financial disaster and helped ignite the French Revolution and Revolutionary Wars. A new government was born out of this revolution- a constitutional monarchy, created in 1791. The Reign of Terror filled the borders of France from 1793 to 1795 which then brought in the Directory. However, the Directory was soon overthrown by a coup d’etat by Napoleon, who declared himself emperor. Napoleon once again brought great power to France and his armies went unconquered as far as Moscow before he met his final defeat in Waterloo during the year of 1815. France soon rose again, dominated by the bourgeoisie, as a uniform and bureaucratic state under the Bourbon Restoration from 1814 until 1830.

After this, Republics would rise and fall until France reached the Fifth Republic. The Second Republic, under the rule of Napoleon III, fell due to his defeat in the Franco-Prussian War from 1870 to 1871. France was burdened with most of the action of World War I, under the lead of Clemenceau. On their western border they fought to keep control of the Alsace-Lorraine regions which not only weighed mentally on the French, but also created sore feelings between France and Germany. The Battle of Verdun, one of the bloodiest wars fought on the French land, was fought during World War I and lasted for 4 years, finally ending in a stalemate of both the German and French sides. World War II led to the defeat of France by the Germans - the same people that had caused them such misery in the last war. The German occupation created a new government headed by Marshal Pétain, which was considered the collaborationist Vichy government in the unoccupied area of France. General Charles De Gaulle led the resistance to this government called “Free France”. France would see a Fourth Republic and then De Gaulle would be placed back in power under the Fifth Republic as the first president from 1958 to 1969. De Gaulle wanted to regain French prestige in world affairs so he stressed independence from the U.S. and NATO in military affairs. Gaullist dominance lasted for 23 year and then fell to the hands of the socialist François Mitterrand in 1981. Jacques Chirac, a Gaullist, was appointed as premier after Mitterrand was ousted due to the loss of parliamentary majority in 1986. In 1995, Jacques Chirac was elected as the President of the Republic bringing us to the current government.

Government

France has a presidential republic, which is currently called the Fifth Republic. Charles De Gaulle, a resistance leader during World War II formed the constitution under which the Fifth Republic is ruled. The Fifth Republic’s constitution gives greater power to the elected president and reduces the authority of the parliament. The president is elected by popular vote. The president then chooses the prime minister, who is the head of the government. The French parliament has two chambers, the National Assembly and the Senate. These chambers share legislative control but the National Assembly is more powerful. The Constitutional Council has control to watch over elections, referenda and make decisions over constitutional questions.

Human Rights

France is a historical leading nation in human rights. It was a haven for the enlightenment during the 18th century, when intellectuals debated and fought for the legal protection of universal human rights. They were one of the first nations to draw up a Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen on the 26th August 1789. Even after these landmark achievements, France struggled through dictatorships and monarchies throughout the next century. The government did however, slowly progress towards constitutional rule. Following World War II and the creation of the Fourth Republic, France finally met stability, which led to more democratic rule and a renewed commitment to the rights of man. The UN General Assembly accepted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris. One of the framers of this constitution was René Cassin, a great French jurist, who became the president of the European Court of Human Rights and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. France believed that economic growth and the development of better living conditions through out the world would achieve a respect for human rights. France has also been a member of the UN Commission on Human Rights almost without interruption since the UN body was set up in 1946. In 1947 the French government created a National Consultative Committee on Human Rights, the CNCDH, founded by René Cassin, which covers all human rights-related issues. France foreign policy seeks cooperation through diplomacy rather then military intervention. In modern times France supported two international tribunals to charge those that were responsible for crimes against humanity and acts of genocide. At the European level, France has been the headquarters for the Council of Europe since its foundation in 1949, in the capital of Alsace, Strasbourg, which symbolizes Franco-German reconciliation. The goal of this organization is to achieve greater unity between European states, based on their common respect for democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Strasbourg is also the seat of the European Court of Human Rights which follows the 1950 European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. France was pivotal to protecting human rights in the framework of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. As a result of French initiative, the agreement on stability in Europe was adopted in Paris in 1995. This agreement covers all areas of human rights- such as children’s and women’s rights, and the fight against slavery. In the late seventies, France was one of the first states to protect the individual rights of the citizens in the computerized society. Most recently the French government was one of many states to lead a protocol for the banning of human cloning in Paris in 1998.

France has been dealing with foreign policy decisions for centuries, yet they still seem to miss their target. This exceptionalist state seems to care solely for the distinctiveness of its culture and the security of its nation, although it preaches human rights. France claims to stand for human rights while also supporting foreign dictators from the past to present. Why would a state so steeped in human rights not follow its own policy?

One of the latest cases takes place in the country of Tunisia, which has a republican government in name, but a dictatorship in practice. Ben Ali took over the presidency after a peaceful coup d’ etat in 1987, and then moved quickly to crush the Islamic movement. He banned the Islamic political party, curtailed political and press freedoms, and then jailed hundreds of his political opponents. Instead of objecting to his actions, the French watched as Tunisia gained economic progress and political stability. The French national-security interest was sufficient enough to make them overlook the lack of democratic political reform, censorship of the media, and the problems of human rights.

Three events in the early 1990’s led the government of France to change their policies towards the Arab countries. “Politique arabe” is a policy designed to differ France from other superpowers by creating a friendship with the Arab world. The same Arab world filled with sporadic dictatorships and terrorist acts. When going to war with Iraq in the first Gulf War France went against its policy named “politique arabe”. Their discontent with the state of affairs in the Arab world during the first Gulf War chilled their warm outreach program of “politique arabe”. Thus they changed this policy’s name to “la politique mediterranéenne”, in order to place more emphasis on the Mediterranean states. This new policy rekindled the linkages of the European Union and the Mediterranean countries and thus helped rebuild the credibility of France and its leadership.

The next event to change their relationship with the Middle East involved the outbreak of violence in Algeria. Violence erupted here after the government annulled the 1992 parliamentary elections in order to prevent a victory by the Islamic, front islamique du salut, party. While Algeria fell into a civil war, France and Europe supported the secular government against the “non-democratic Islamic fundamentalists”, even though this government was also non-democratic.

The next event occurred in France. The escalating violence plaguing Algeria could not be contained and in December 1994, a group of radical Islamics hijacked an Air France aircraft. Then in July 1995, the groupe islamique armée took responsibility for bombings at St. Michel and Arc de Triomphe. These acts placed blinders on France and they chose to overlook the repressive government- used to keep the Islamic movement out- which Ben Ali had created in Tunisia. They preferred repression instead of terrorism, all the while ignoring the human rights violations.

Their support of foreign dictators does not stop there. The French government also turns a blind eye to fund raising in Paris by front organizations for Hamas. This terrorist group has taken responsibility for most of the recent suicide attacks in Israel. The United States has argued that France is holding the European Union back from stopping the funding support in other states, therefore, impeding the war against terrorism. The intelligence suggests that France has become a driving force in funding and they have yet to suggest any possible legislation in order to block these actions.

If France wants to redeem its floundering human rights policy they must stop joining the side of dictators and stop supporting terrorist organizations. They are only harming the well-being of their own state and other states. If they wish to become true leaders of human rights reform then they owe not only their own people within their borders but also those outside the security of protection from fear. They need to reform in order to stop endangering the innocent people who suffer under the regimes they support.

European Union

The European Union has brought a birth of new ideas to a struggling Europe that needed a great push into the new world. The European Union is beginning to reinvigorate Western Europe and France is in the lead. Mr. M. Calbresi stated in Reconcilable Differences, that “Unaltered … the French assessment that building Europe was essential to a French strategy for dealing with the twin challenges of globalization and the United States’ hegemonic power…”. Europe wants to gain economic stability and stronger security. France’s membership in the European Union shapes every policy, expansion and restructuring of the economy. This is the revitalization they need to keep atop the leader board.

The European Union is well on their way, attracting new countries for integration. France maintains a supportive friendship with these prospective members, trying to help their struggling economies and promoting their inclusion as beneficial to all involved. France is helping them to complete the restructuring of their governments, to establish the rule of law, and to make a smoother transition into a free market economy. The European Union gives about 60% of overall funding to the Baltic, Central and East European states. The European Union has also made agreements with these new countries to gently change these states’ economies into a free-trade area. In the 1990’s France has been instrumental in forming institutions able to grant security and stability in Europe. The art of preventive diplomacy is one of France’s strongest abilities. France was useful in setting up institutions and agreements, such as the European Court of Conciliation and Arbitration under the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe and the international criminal tribunals which presented the European Union partners with plan for a pact on stability in Europe. France, along with their European Union partners, is exploring ways to achieve four fundamental objectives: maintaining the efficacy of the European Union, making institutions more democratic, defining the concept of subsidiary, and bringing Europe closer to its citizens. The Treaty of Amsterdam was signed, on October 2, 1997, which was to adapt the European Union institutions. The Treaty only partially covered the worries that concerned France. France and other countries want to see institutional reform before future European Union development.

The European Union was formed through a Franco-German trade alliance that expanded into their current unique single economy and common currency of multi lingual states. So why would France be against this strengthening of its economic stability? Although France seems interested in economic prosperity, their support for anti-globalization and exceptionalism seems contrary to this goal. If France is so concerned with losing their identity, then why would they choose to be a part of a multinational economic union?

Anti-globalization is top on the agenda in France and the political hopefuls have been pushing this issue. France cannot seem to take a step back and realize the strength that they receive from the multinational corporations that they have within their borders, such as Axa and Telecom, which are high on the list of multinational corporations. They are pro anti-globalization because of the lack of respect for human rights that large corporations have towards less developed nations and the effect of outside cultures on the purity of French society. How could France be so hypocritical and not see that these corporations also have business in less developed countries? They are preaching one thing and practicing another thing. France is in support of the European Union which is trying to integrate the states of Europe into a single economy and one monetary system while also fiercely fighting for the independence of their own economy. In the political realm a few strategies have begun to come to the fore front. They can become a society more anti-global and anti-Europe, forcing profound reform of the state or they can modernize, moving away from the left side of politics towards realist economics. The politicians that have these choices tend to avoid debating globalization, which leaves the French unable to make an educated choice. So the people are left between French exceptionalism and a vibrant, more open France. Professor of military strategy and political advisor Steven Kramer asserts, “France is still fundamentally ambivalent about a united Europe, but an ambivalent France will never create a united and powerful Europe…. France is thus embarked on a course fraught with peril.” They are concerned with losing their French identity. As the European Union moves further forward the French might be saying one thing, but secretly they are concerned for the distinctiveness that they will be losing.

France has been playing it close to the wire with the European Union, giving them the reputation of impeding European integration. France has been warned to follow the policies of the European Union but there are at least three examples of a breach of these policies. First, France was to pass a Bill to open its electricity market to European Union competition, in 1999, but they would not pass it by the specified date of the beginning of January 1999. The European Union Energy Commissioner began legal action on France for failing to implement the directive. This was a sign that France really was hesitant of the European community engaging in business within France’s borders. The reason this was such a problem was because the state utility, Electricite de France was free to gain market shares elsewhere in Europe. This is one example of France putting their companies’ interests before globalization in European economic cooperation. The second policy problem begins with France’s lack of respect for the treaties governing their economic situation. Europe wants France to reduce their spending and deficit to at least 0.5 percentage point of gross domestic product this year. France brushed this off and stated that this policy wouldn’t be able to be set in place until next year. The European commissioner for monetary affairs, Pedro Solbes, stated that, “France is a member of the European Union, so it cannot ignore the obligations of the treaty. France has to face budgetary problems that will not go away by simply ignoring them.” Instead of taking this policy seriously France has jeopardized the European Union’s success. By being a weak member unwilling to accept criticism they are undermining the success of the very union they are helping to create.

France holds an important role in the European community, although they don’t share the same views as their respective states share. France preaches human rights but they do not enforce what they believe. France should be a leader having a democratic stance in this world, yet they have acted in their best interests only viewing the information that makes past colonial states and present foreign dictators economically stable. France is stuck between the past, present and future because their policies are a combination of historical realist state craft and progressive reform and they can’t seem to find a middle ground, therefore, their foreign policy decisions are either circular or undetermined. Their tumultuous past has led France from wide spread military power and dominance to its present state as a once colonial power struggling to form economic alliances in order to claw their way back to prestige. However, their obsession with French cultural and economic superiority undermines the very union that could restore their place in the balance of power. France’s foreign policy indecisiveness seems to circle around their nation like a fine fog clouding their decisions. They are so consumed by their uniqueness that their foreign policy has become an eclectic and confusing mix of liberalist preaching and realist actions.

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