Long live the rafale, long live the republic, and long live France!

A look back at the role of the military in france

Abstract

A new global situation emerged in the late 2000s. Like any major turning point in the history of capitalism, this one uniquely combines economic and geopolitical dimensions. In a context where the 2008 crisis continues to have devastating social effects, significant political and social processes have profoundly altered the geopolitical configuration that had taken shape after the collapse of the USSR in 1991. The Sarkozy and Hollande governments seized the opportunities created by this new situation. They increased military interventions in Africa, where France has significant economic and political-military interests, and promoted intense military-economic diplomacy in the Middle East. However, military interventionism, which French governments try to get the EU to support by using it as a ‘comparative advantage’ over their partners, is powerless to stop or even halt conflicts, and it places France in a dangerous spiral.