The 17 June unveiling of the French White Paper on Defence and National Security2 comes at a period of evolution in French defence and security policy. Reformation of its armed forces, its ambitions to re-integrate into the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s (NATO) military command and its plans to enhance the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP), points to a renaissance in France’s role in international affairs. Analysing this metamorphosis, this article will navigate the reader through the development of the White Paper to its implications for military reform in France and its goals for the country’s strategic orientation over the next fifteen years. Following this, the article will then focus on three issues mentioned in the report that are particularly pertinent for the rest of the European Union ESDP: peacebuilding, NATO, nuclear weapons and space.
European Security Review, 2008, No. 40
Daniel Fiott 