Continuity and Variation of French Foreign Policy since 1945

Abstract

An overview of French foreign policy regarding the Middle East, the European Union, and the Warsaw Pact, and France’s relations with the United States and NATO from the end of World War II to the present, including the constitution of the Fifth Republic and foundational role of de Gaulle. Next, the policies developed by various administrations from the 1980s to the present are examined, with particular emphasis on perceptions and opinions of French political leaders. There are no major differences among the political parties in terms of foreign policy. Indeed, on the main elements of foreign policy instituted by de Gaulle there is strong agreement by all interviewees, from the left and the right of the political spectrum. All subsequent presidents, with slight adaptations have followed these key premises of French foreign policy.