FEATURED COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS

Spotlight France: Europe’s swing state

New Atlanticist May 2, 2025

France’s foreign minister on Europe’s role in the ‘new era of multilateralism’

By Daniel Hojnacki

Jean-Noël Barrot laid out his vision of European strategic autonomy and cautioned Washington against pulling back from the multilateral system it helped build.
Economy & Business European Union
Spotlight France: Europe’s swing state

Transcript Apr 24, 2025

France’s François Villeroy de Galhau on a US recession: ‘Bad news for the US is bad news for all, including for Europe’

By Atlantic Council

The governor of the Banque de France, speaking at the Atlantic Council, said that the European Central Bank would likely cut interest rates further this year.
Europe & Eurasia European Union
Spotlight France: Europe’s swing state

Issue Brief Dec 20, 2024

Europe needs a coalition of the resolute

By Léonie Allard and Elie Tenenbaum

Europe must develop a “coalition of the resolute” to provide security guarantees to Ukraine and to show resolve to take more responsibility for their own security.
Conflict Europe & Eurasia

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Issue Brief

Dec 13, 2016

Spotlight France: Europe’s swing state

By Jeffrey Lightfoot, Jérémie Gallon

“France: Europe’s Swing State: Foreign Policy Begins at Home,” argue that France is the pivotal swing state in shaping the contours of a stronger European Union (EU) and a reinforced transatlantic alliance at a crucial moment in the history of the West.

European Union France

In the News

Dec 13, 2016

Polyakova in the Huffington Post: Russia’s Likely to Interfere in French and German Elections Next

By Alina Polyakova

Read the full article here.

France Germany

New Atlanticist

Dec 6, 2016

Domestic Reforms Must Be a Priority for France

France occupies a unique geopolitical position and can positively influence Europe’s trajectory, but first it must undertake significant domestic reforms, Jérémie Gallon, a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Future Europe Initiative, said in a Facebook Live discussion on December 6. Gallon joined Jeffrey Lightfoot, a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Brent […]

France

UkraineAlert

Nov 17, 2016

The Russian Plot against Europe

By Alina Polyakova

Russia’s influence reaches deep into Western Europe. France has a major far-right, Eurosceptic, and openly pro-Russian party that receives funding from the Kremlin. In London, Brexit provides an opportunity for Moscow to gain a toehold in British politics. Germany’s former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder serves as chairman of the Russian-German pipeline Nord Stream. But these examples […]

European Union France
French nuclear ballistic missile submarine Téméraire

NATOSource

Nov 16, 2016

German Lawmaker: Europe Must Consider Own Nuclear Deterrence Capability

By Andrea Shalal, Reuters

Europe needs to think about developing its own nuclear deterrent strategy given concerns that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump could scale back U.S. military commitments in Europe, a senior member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives said.

European Union France

New Atlanticist

Nov 16, 2016

Former NATO Leaders to Trump: Don’t Make Bad Deals with Putin

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Anders Fogh Rasmussen warn against turning Ukraine into a ‘bargaining chip’ US President-elect Donald Trump must not strike any deals with Russian President Vladimir Putin that turn Ukraine into a “bargaining chip,” and must send a clear signal of commitment to the security of the United States’ NATO allies, two former […]

European Union France

Defense Industrialist

Nov 3, 2016

Technological disjunctures and the 21st century destroyer

By Danny Lam

The future of surface warfare requires cooperation across borders. Sea control in the twentieth century revolved around fleets based on battleships, then aircraft carriers. Lesser vessels like destroyers and frigates were for constabulary duty during peacetime, and during wartime, for assisting the main battle fleet in defeating opposing navies to restore control of seas. In […]

China Conflict

UkraineAlert

Oct 26, 2016

Don’t Expect Quick Resolution to Europe’s Only Active War

By Vera Zimmerman

The most disputed point about the Minsk agreements has been whether to hold local elections in the Donbas before Ukraine regains control of its border with Russia, or after. Ukraine has insisted that security and the return of the border should precede elections, while pro-Russian separatists and Moscow have been pushing for the opposite, as […]

France Germany
Two Russian TU-160 Blackjack bombers, Sept. 22, 2016

NATOSource

Oct 6, 2016

Jets From Four NATO Members Scramble As Russian Bombers Fly from Norway To Spain

By BBC

Two Russian Blackjack bombers were intercepted by fighter jets from four European countries as they flew from the direction of Norway to northern Spain and back, it has emerged.

France NATO
French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, June 3, 2014

NATOSource

Sep 26, 2016

Europe’s Misguided Plan for a New Joint Military Headquarters

By Jorge Benitez, National Interest

The recent campaign by Juncker, Mogherini, and the governments of France and Germany for an EU military headquarters is a regrettable step in the wrong direction.

European Union France
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