With Bush, Sarkozy Steals Angela Merkel's Thunder...

(The Times, U.K.)


With Bush, Sarkozy Steals Angela Merkel's Thunder...
Le Monde, France
By Natalie Nougayrède
Translated By Sandrine Ageorges
August 12, 2007


The summer encounter between Nicolas Sarkozy and George W. Bush on the East coast of the United-States, where the French president chose to rest up, can be counted as a media "coup" and a gesture of reconciliation that for his part, Jacques Chirac would had a very hard time contemplating. If one needs to see a "rupture" in the foreign policy of Mr. Sarkozy, this is where it can be found in its entirety. (The "rupture" is that between the new and old French Governments - part of Mr. Sarkozy's victorious election campaign).

Not that the American president's team wouldn't have wished a comparable meeting with Mr. Chirac: at the beginning of the year, the White House had indicated to the occupant of the Elysée that he would be welcomed on the other side of the Atlantic. After all, Paris and Washington had for years been cooperating closely on issues like counter-terrorism, the ebb and flow of Syrian influence in Lebanon, and the stabilization of Afghanistan. The Bush Administration would certainly have appreciated a demonstration of its capacity to act multilaterally and work with a not-so-convenient ally. It is already quite conscious of its need to rectify its image and credibility, which has been put at risk by the difficulties in Iraq.

But Mr. Chirac preferred not to follow up on the offer. Was the bitterness of the 2003 break-up over Iraq too difficult to surmount? Did the offensive tone of American policy in regard to Iran too-greatly annoy Elysée while it had its eyes riveted on Lebanon? One doesn't know. But Mr. Chirac's refusal to travel didn't only concern America: he also declined an invitation from Russia by Vladimir Putin, and excluded the idea of taking a tour of the Middle-East. To be fair, he just couldn't see that there was anything new to be said.

So here comes Nicolas Sarkozy, whose election has created great expectations, notably in the United States. The Bush team believes that Mr. Sarkozy is in the same category of "new European leaders" as Angela Merkel, in the sense that he won't try to oppose everything the United-States does internationally. For years to come, the relationship that Nicolas Sarkozy establishes with Washington will weigh heavily on France's capacity to defend its interests and influence events in regions of the planet that, outside of Europe, are particularly important: the Maghreb , the Middle East and Africa.

It is indeed on the subject of Iran - paradoxically hardly raised by Nicolas Sarkozy since his arrival at the Elysée - on which his diplomacy will be truly put to the test in the months to come. Certainly far more than minor issues - even if some of these have been played-up in the media by the Elysée - such as the Bettancourt situation or the release of the Bulgarian nurses in Libya. While Teheran defies the U.N. Security Council by continuing its nuclear activities, the possibility of an American attack remains a likelihood that no one can dismiss with certainty, especially as the end of Mr. Bush's mandate approaches in 2008.



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