Nicolas Sarkozy had already made it clear while he was still a presidential candidate that he would improve bilateral relations between France and the US. He is doing what he promised to do; France is following the footsteps of the US in a number of regional issues, including the Iranian nuclear crisis, the Lebanon case and other similar issues.Sarkozy favors a continuation of the US-led embargo imposed on Iran, despite the possibility that this would be contrary to the general stance adopted by the majority of EU states. In September 2007 he said he would seek a strengthening of the embargo through the EU if the UN Security Council did not endorse stronger measures against Iran. Subsequently, he also warned oil and gas companies and French banks not to make investments in Iran. In response to these moves, EU Security and Foreign Policy Representative Javier Solana announced that there is no such thing on their agenda.
It is true that this dramatic policy change is attributable to Sarkozy’s worldview. Sarkozy does not like Islam. His strong resistance to Turkey’s membership in the EU indicates that he has been of the same opinion for a long time. Recently Liberation reported that Sarkozy noted Turkey should not be considered European because it was part of Asia Minor. The paper’s Brussels-based reporter Jean Quatremer notes that Sarkozy made this remark before a highly distinguished audience off the record; but these views of Sarkozy are no secret. In reference to the views of Bernard Lewis and Samuel Huntington, who both underlined that Muslims should be excluded from Europe, Sarkozy asks for harsh measures against the Muslim population; he makes abandonment of the native language for aliens living in France a requirement for permanent residence. As you might recall, the German chancellor also asked immigrants to speak the German language.
These are Sarkozy’s views. The overlap between these views and the doctrine developed by the neocons in the US is a coincidence. Surely Sarkozy is aware of this and this implies that Sarkozy’s vision is not purely theoretical, he also seeks to benefit from the conjuncture and the advantages associated with current tendencies.
It is not hard to understand the dramatic change in foreign policy. Most recently, the French prime minister gave a speech described by some as a lapse of tongue. François Fillon said: “France does not have a dime. We have been struggling with serious budget deficits for 15 years. I am administering a government at the edge of collapse. We do not have the luxury to pay high salaries to civil servants.” He was strongly criticized by the opposition as well as the president for this speech. (Vatan, Sept. 25, 2007). Obviously the prime minister is not political enough, he is unable to hold it back.
Let us recall a small piece of information setting all these aside: France calculated a $50 billion debt to be collected from Saddam’s Iraq while he was still in power. Following the US-led invasion in 2003, this issue was shelved. Of course, France did not give up on collecting this amount, however Iraqi oil revenues, financial system and economy are controlled by the US which seeks to redesign the entire region; it has no fondness for those who do not share the same line of foreign policy. Therefore it raises the question as to whether France aims to collect the receivables by aligning its foreign policy with US regional policies, and this is not a redundant question.
