France is not yet at the stage of renaming the burgers “sandwiches of liberty” but we have nevertheless put away the petits fours. Following the cancellation of the “contract of the century” of 56 billion euros for submarines by Australia, which will ultimately procure from the United States, France has canceled a reception it was supposed to give. at the residence of his ambassador in Washington, Thursday evening. A symbolic retaliatory measure, because this evening was to celebrate the aid given by France to the American insurgents during a key battle the War of Independence.
The “sanction” may be a smile but France, even angry to see this juicy contract pass under her nose, does she really have the means to go further to show her dissatisfaction? 20 minutes asked the question to Jean-Eric Branaa, specialist in the United States.
France spoke of a “blow to the back” and canceled a reception at the French embassy. Was this the union minimum for such an event?
It is a stroke of anger on the part of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who has lost his temper. We can nevertheless understand this reaction: it is true that the contract is important and that the stakes are multiple. First of all, there was a strategic issue on the right way to act in the Pacific zone. On that, Joe Biden was pretty clear that he wanted leadership. On the question of the Pacific zone, he finds the Europeans a little too temperate. This angry outburst from Jean-Yves Le Drian illustrates the frustration of this sidelining.
The minister’s reaction is directed against the Americans. Why ? Because there is a commercial competition at the military level. It is true that Americans and French are in the same segment of advanced weapons. In this regard, the anger of the French is less understandable because competition is part of the game. Even if the contract was very advanced, it is not the Americans who cancel it, it is the Australians. It is against the Australians that Jean-Yves Le Drian should have reacted. But it is a whole in which we can clearly see that Joe Biden having decided to take the leadership on the “Free World”, so he comes up against a French president and his government who do not want to be allies. submitted.
Does France have the means to take it badly?
France still has the means to take it badly. It is the fifth world power, it has a seat on the UN Security Council, it is a nuclear power … We have heard a lot of commentators saying since yesterday that we are a dwarf, that we do not count for great- thing. No, of course we matter and the United States cannot do without a good relationship with France. We should not of course exaggerate things in the other direction either: France has no interest in making hostilities last too long because we are allies. We are angry when faced with a frustration between two friends who tell each other the truths, that is also part of diplomacy. It is not more serious and more serious than that.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recalled that France was a vital ally in the area. Are these formulas for circumstance or is there a desire to smooth things over?
Yes because France matters! The question is to know in what role and what place it counts. What should not be forgotten is that there is a question of leadership and that Joe Biden does not intend to bother with leaderships superior to his own. He has always considered, since the fall of the Berlin Wall, that the United States is the first world power, that they therefore have a responsibility towards the world in this respect and that they do not count. submit to other authorities.
They consult, but it stops there. As for the military, let us realize anyway: the American defense budget is 750 billion dollars, an increase of 4.5% in the last budget. It’s colossal! Besides that, obviously, France does not count for much. But no country counts for much. Even China has a military budget “only” of around 250 billion dollars, up only 2% from last year.
Does Joe Biden have contempt for Europe and France?
Absolutely not, quite the opposite. Joe Biden’s whole life has been focused on Europe, to which he has a great attachment. Recall that he is from both Ireland and France. This is a symbol for Americans and for Joe Biden in particular. I do not believe at all that there is the slightest contempt for France.
There is the idea that there is a hierarchy in the importance of files and that at the moment, France is not at the top of the hierarchy. We have been greatly deceived in France by an illusion under Donald Trump who, for once, made no real hierarchy in diplomacy. He had invited the French president with honors, after being himself received with honors in France. It felt like suddenly the most important power in the eyes of Americans, when it was not.