|president =Emmanuel Macron
|president-raw =
|conservative-leader=Marine Le Pen
|chancellor =
|chancellor-raw =
|pm =Édouard PhilippeGabriel Attal
|pm-raw =
|area =260,558 sq mi
}}
:''For the impact on left-wing policies on France and the rest of Europe, see [[European migrant crisis]]''
'''France''' is a republic in [[Europe]] and is about the size of [[Texas]]. It has the second largest population in [[Western Europe]], roughly the same as the [[United Kingdom]] but behind [[Germany]]. The elected president is the dominant figure in the country's politics. The French national currency, or franc, was phased out and replaced by the [[euro ]] in 1999-2002. France is the world's most popular tourist destination with 80 million visitors in 2011.<ref>"[http://geography.about.com/od/economic-geography/a/20-Most-Popular-Countries-As-Tourist-Destinations.htm 20 Most Popular Countries as Tourist Destinations]".</ref> The Eiffel Tower in Paris is world's most visited tourist attraction. [[Nuclear power ]] produces 78 percent of the country's electricity.
In ancient times, the area that is today France was included in the Roman province of Gaul. Together with Germany and Northern Italy, it was part of the Carolingian Empire. The earliest document attesting to a distinct French language is the Oaths of Strassbourg of 842. In 843, the Treaty of Verdun divided the Carolingian Empire into French, German, and Italian kingdoms.
==Geography==
[[File:Harbour of Marseille France.jpg|thumb|left|The Harbour of Marseille.]]
*Total area: 674,843 km<sup>2</sup>. (260,558 sq. mi.); largest Western European country, about the size of [[Texas]].
*Cities: Capital (and largest city)--[[Paris]]. Major cities--[[Marseille]], [[Lyon]], [[Toulouse]], [[Strasbourg]], [[Nice]], [[Rennes]], [[Lille]], [[Bordeaux]].
==History==
[[File:Palacio del Luxemburgo ELUE Romero.jpg|thumb|left|Luxembourg Palace.]]
See: [[History of France]]
{{Clear}}The "Vichy" government largely cooperated with the German Nazi regime, namely in the allocation of French resources and manpower, and the forceful deportations of tens of thousands of French [[Jews]] living in France to [[concentration camp]]s across Europe. France came under more complete German control following the German military occupation of November 1942 in response to saboteurs and resistance movements. Economically, a full one-half of France's public sector revenue was appropriated for the German war effort against the [[Soviet Union]].[[File:Azov-bn.gif|right|400px|thumb|(left) French-supported Azov Battalion; (center) Nazi Black Sun wheel; (right) SS Panzer Division ''Das Reich'' which committed the Oradour-sur-Glane massacre.]]The Waffen-SS Division Charlemagne was formed in September 1944 from French collaborationists, many of whom were already serving in various other German units. Named after [[Charlemagne]], the 9th-century Frankish emperor, it superseded the existing Legion of French Volunteers Against Bolshevism formed in 1941 within the German Army and the SS-Volunteer ''Sturmbrigade'' France formed in July 1943. The division also included French recruits from other German military and paramilitary formations and ''Miliciens'', who were created by the Vichy regime to help fight the French Resistance. The massacre at Oradour-sur-Glane on June 10, 1944, four days after the [[Normandy Invasion]] commenced, was committed by the SS Panzer Division Das Reich. The entire village, 642 people, men, women, children, and the elderly were killed, allegedly for harboring resistance fighters and to make an example for other villages. The village was burnt following the massacre. The village was not rebuilt and remains in the condition the Nazis left it as a memorial.<ref>https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/oradour-sur-glane</ref> 70 years later, the Ukrainian [[Azov Battalion]] notorious for [[war crimes]] and massacres of civilians in the [[Donbas]],<ref>http://www.indiandefencereview.com/what-forced-a-russian-response-in-ukraine/</ref> adopted the same Wolfsangel insignia of the SS Division Das Reich; the 5th Republic of "democratic Europe" supported the Azov Nazis with money, training and weapons.<ref>https://twitter.com/PhilippeMurer/status/1500086419477389318</ref> The SS Division Charlemagne had 7,340 men at the time of its deployment to the Eastern Front in February 1945. It fought against Soviet forces in Pomerania to defend the Nazi capital where it was almost annihilated within a month. When the [[Red Army]] stormed [[Berlin]], round 300 members of the Waffen-SS Division Charlemagne were defending [[Hitler]]'s bunker and were among the last [[Axis powers|Axis forces]] to surrender in April and May 1945.<ref>https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/ss-unit-berlin-frenchmen.html?edg-c=1</ref>
==People==
The future of the French cultural exception is uncertain. On the positive side, the unexpected success of the Korean film industry should inspire European leaders.<ref>[https://worldpolicy.org/2014/11/03/france-ending-the-cultural-exception/ FRANCE: ENDING THE CULTURAL EXCEPTION], WorldPolicy.org</ref>}}
[[File:Harbour of Marseille France.jpg|thumb|right|The Harbour of Marseille.]]
In 1996, the ''New York Times'' reported:
{{Cquote|The French Government, on a crusade to safeguard the country's culture from marauding forces of commercialism, has risen yet again to defend the national patrimony, setting up a foundation to involve the citizens directly in trying to protect some of the things that make France French.
==Government==
[[File:Delacroix La liberte guidant le peuple.jpg|thumb|300px|Commemorating the July Revolution of 1830: [[Eugene Delacroix]], ''La liberte guidant le peuple''.]]
The [[constitution]] of the [[Fifth Republic ]] was approved by public referendum on September 28, 1958. It greatly strengthened the powers of the president in relation to those of Parliament. Under this constitution, presidents have been elected directly for a 7-year term since 1958. Beginning in 2002, the presidential term of office was reduced to 5 years. The president names the prime minister, presides over the cabinet, commands the armed forces, and concludes treaties. Traditionally, presidents under the Fifth Republic have tended to leave day-to-day policy-making to the Prime Minister and government; the five-year term of office is expected to make presidents more accountable for the results of domestic policies.
The president can submit questions to a national referendum and can dissolve the National Assembly. In certain emergency situations, with the approval of parliament, the president may assume [[dictator]]ial powers and rule by decree. The main components of France's executive branch are the president, the prime minister and government, and the permanent bureaucracies of the many ministries. Led by a prime minister, who is the head of government, the cabinet is composed of a varying number of ministers, ministers-delegate, and secretaries of state. Parliament meets for one 9-[[month]] session each year. Under special circumstances the president can call an additional session.
Traditionally, decision-making in France has been highly centralized, with each of France's departments headed by a prefect appointed by the central government. In 1982, the national government passed legislation to decentralize authority by giving a wide range of administrative and fiscal powers to local elected officials. In March 1986, regional councils were directly elected for the first time, and the process of decentralization continues, albeit at a slow pace.
===Principal Government Officials===
[[File:Palacio del Luxemburgo ELUE Romero.jpg|thumb|right|Luxembourg Palace.]]
See [[List of French Presidents]].
*President—François HollandePresident—Emmanuel Macron*Prime Minister—Manuel VallsMinister—Jean Castex*Foreign Minister—Laurent FabiusMinister—*Ambassador to the United States—François DelattreStates—*Ambassador to the United Nations—Gérard AraudNations—
===Political Conditions===
In 2019 ''The Jerusalem Post'' reported that France and other [[File:French Market.jpgWestern alliance|thumb|left|300px|Improving French Market.Western]] countries helped train [[neo-Nazi]]Since his inauguration extremists in May 2007 as France's sixth president under the Fifth Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy focused his first months in office on improving the performance of France's economy through liberalization of labor markets, higher education and taxesUkraine. In the April 22, 2007 first round of presidential elections, Sarkozy, the leader of the center<ref>https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/western-countries-training-far-right, union for a popular Movement (UMP) party, placed first; Socialist candidate Ségolène Royal placed second; centrist François Bayrou placed third; and extremist Jean-Marie Le Pen placed fourth out of a field of 12 candidates. Sarkozy prevailed extremists-in the May 6, 2007 second round, defeating Royal by a 53.06% to 46.94% margin. Royal's loss marked the third straight defeat for the Socialist candidate in presidential elections. -ukraine-report-682411</ref>
In 2021 former President [[Nicolas Sarkozy assumed office on May 16]], 2007who was instrumental in fomenting [[NATO]] aggression against [[Libya]], the last day was found guilty of Jacques Chirac's official termcorruption, trading in influence in a wiretapping and illegal data exchange case. Sarkozy named François Fillon Prime Ministerand two co-defendants were sentenced to three years, two of them suspended, and one in prison. Jean<ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-Louis Borloo03-01|title=Sarkozy: Former French president sentenced to jail for corruption|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56237818|access-date=|archive-date=1 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301113120/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56237818|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=verdictandsentence>{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/nicolas-sarkozy-convincted-corruption-france-6ee89cb03ba8f3888ac64447ebf61f28|title=France's Sarkozy convicted of corruption, the sentenced to jail|first=Sylvie|last=Corbert|agency=Associated Press|date=1 March 2021|access-date=1 March 2021|archive-date=1 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301150230/https://apnews.com/article/nicolas-sarkozy-convincted-corruption-france-6ee89cb03ba8f3888ac64447ebf61f28|url-status=live}}</ref> A second highest ranking figure in the government[[criminal]] trial related to illegal campaign funding began for Sarkozy, presides over an expanded Ministry of Environmentas well as 13 other defendants.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www. Legislative elections held bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-20/sarkozy-returns-to-paris-courtroom-to-relive-failed-election-bid|title=Sarkozy a No-Show as Second Criminal Trial Begins in Paris|first=Gaspard|last=Sebag|publisher=Bloomberg News|date=20 May 2021|accessdate=11 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=trialnext>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57186670|title=Nicolas Sarkozy: Ex-president goes on trial for illegal campaign funding|publisher=BBC News|date=20 May 2021|accessdate=11 February 2022}}</ref> Sarkozy's second corruption trial involved allegations of diverting tens of millions of euros which was intended to be spent on June 10 and 17, 2007 gave the UMP his failed 2012 re-election campaign and then hiring a large parliamentary majorityPR firm to cover it up. In 2007<ref name=trialnext /><ref name=sarkozysecond /> The illicit campaign finance money was instead used to overspend on lavish campaign rallies and events.<ref name=sarkozysecond /><ref name=trialnext /> On 30 September 2021, key ministers included: JeanSarkozy, as well as his co-Louis Borloodefendants, Ecology and Sustainable Planning; Michèle Alliotwas convicted.<ref name=sarkozyagainconviction>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-Marieeurope-58729505|title=Sarkozy: Ex-French president gets jail sentence over campaign funding|publisher=BBC News|date=30 September 2021|accessdate=11 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=sarkozysecond>{cite news|url=https://www.france24.com/en/france/20210930-former-french-president-sarkozy-found-guilty-of-illegal-campaign-financing|title=France's ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy to serve a year of house arrest for illegal campaign financing|publisher=France 24|date=30 September 2022|accessdate=11 February 2022}}</ref> For this conviction, Interior; Bernard KouchnerSarkozy was given a 1 year prison sentence, Foreign Affairs; Christine Lagarde, Economy; Brice Hortefeux, Immigration; Rachida Dati, Justice; and Hervé Morin, Defensethough he was also given the option to serve this sentence at home with an electronic bracelet. <ref name=sarkozysecond /><ref name=sarkozyagainconviction />
In electing Nicolas Sarkozy[[Emmanuel Macron]], French voters endorsed the wide-ranging program of reforms—including market-oriented social and economic reforms—that were the focal point of Sarkozy's campaign, implicitly giving him the green light to try and implement these reforms quickly, and allowing a way forward for overcoming France's 2005 rejection of the EU constitutional treaty. By embracing a figure long tagged as "pro-Americanliberal [[globalist]]," French voters also expressed their desire to renew trust in won the U.S.-France relationship. During the campaign Sarkozy often ended his stump speeches—evoking Martin Luther King—by calling for a "French dream" of social equality, social mobility2017 presidential election, and equal opportunity; and his first speech as President-elect assured his "American friends" that they could rely on France's friendshipdefeating populist [[Marine Le Pen]].
Shortly after taking officeIn 2022, President Sarkozy went to work on a series of reforms to address mounting pressure for shortwith Emmanuel Macron facing re- and long-term restructuring, including reduced government spending, flexibility election in the implementation of the 35-hour work weekweeks, more labor-market flexibility, less taxation, and further privatization and liberalization of the business sector. fact French and EU analysts stress that longerofficers were holed up training neo-term measures must focus on reducing the future burden of ballooning public pension and health care budgets, as well as reducing laborNazis in [[Azovstal]] was an embarrassing revelation. <ref>https://www.veteranstoday.com/2022/04/09/nato-fails-related taxes. Government action to initiate such reforms may have contributed to the center-right's poor showing evacuate-military-advisors-from-mariupol-in 2004 regional and European Parliamentary elections, and continues to spark periodic strikes and work stoppages throughout France.-dry-cargo-ship/</ref>
It should be noted that France isOn May 10, in many ways2022 Macron, much more left-wing and socialist than speaking to the U.S.A. Even with what the French would call a right-wing president, there are differences fundamental between the right-wing [[European Parliament]] in France and America. France has a very large state and employs a near majority of the workforce directly and indirectly (like state-owned private companies). France also has a very strong welfare state and comprehensive cover for health, unemployment, pensions, etc. This is expensive and so taxes are relatively high. So while President Chirac and his successor President Sarkozy are right-wing[[Strasbourg]], they are not looking quashed Ukrainian ambitions to dismantle these policies even if join the latter wants to make them more efficient. Compared to AmericaEU, Sarkozy would be roughly equivalent to proposing instead a Democrat. The Socialist Party, the opposition "new European political party at the momentcommunity" open to non-member states like Ukraine, is very strongadding that it may take "several decades" for Kyiv to fully realize its EU ambitions. There is no comparison to a main American political party<ref>https://www.newsweek.com/macron-ukraine-eu-russia-france-1705232</ref>
<blockquote>During his first year and a half in officeOn May 19, Sarkozy eliminated income taxes on overtime hours2022, lengthened the contribution period for retirees to receive full pensions, and established during a "minimum service" requirement on strike days, among other reforms. He also completed a major revision of the French constitution, which made the president more accountable visit to Parliament and strengthened the power of the legislature. French and EU analysts stress that longer-term reform measures must focus on reducing the future burden of ballooning public pension and health care budgets, as well as reducing labor-related taxes. <ref>[http://aadorjan.com/Moin/index.cgi/Political_Structure Political Structure]</ref></blockquote> [[François HollandeRomania]], a socialist, won the 2012 presidential election. Macron commented on NATO provocations against [[Emmanuel MacronTransnistria]]: “The recent incidents in Transnistria show that we cannot exclude that the conflict will spread to neighboring countries, " and that France “intends to keep a liberal special eye on the regional security situation and any possible encroachment on [[globalistMoldova]]’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” The Romanian Ministry of Defense announced that France would deploy a special air defense unit in Romania at the Capu-Midia military base, won in the 2017 presidential election, defeating populist [[Marine Le Pen]].Constanta district
===Foreign Relations===
A [[File:Burkina Faso.PNG|right|300px|thumb|Africans in Burkina Faso ask for Russia's help to throw French forces out of the country.<ref>https://www.bitchute.com/video/DdYtbx3LTfKU/</ref>]]Despite having done more to aid the [[Third Reich]] during the [[Second World War]] than to defend its own borders, modern France is a charter member of the United Nations, France and holds one of the a permanent seats seat in the Security Council and . It is also a member of most of its specialized and related agencies. France is also America's oldest ally; French military intervention was instrumental in helping Britain's American colonies establish independence. Because many battles in which the United States was involved during World War I and World War II took place in France, more American soldiers have been killed on French soil than on that of any other foreign country. [[File:France Mexico relations.jpg|thumb|270px|A court decision has weakened Mexico-France diplomatic relations.]]
France is a leader in Western Europe because of its size, location, and large economy, membership in European organizations, strong military posture, and energetic diplomacy. France generally has worked to strengthen the global economic and political influence of the EU and its role in common European defense. It views Franco-German cooperation and the development of a European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) with other EU members, as the foundation of efforts to enhance European security.
France has extensive political and commercial relations with Asian countries, including China, Japan, and Southeast Asia as well as an increasing presence in regional fora. France is seeking to broaden its commercial presence in China and will pose a competitive challenge to U.S. business, particularly in aerospace, high-tech, and luxury markets. In Southeast Asia, France was an architect of the 1991 Paris Accords, which ended the conflict in Cambodia.
After a [[coup]] in the African nation Burkina Faso in January 2022, residents demanded that Russia intervene and throw the French out.<ref>https://archive.ph/3H6aV#selection-363.0-367.146</ref> In preparation for ground war in Europe, France withdrew all remaining troops from [[Mali]] by May 27, 2022;<ref>https://youtu.be/dp1Gw6irevk</ref> [[Joe Biden]] order US troops back to Africa to pick up the slack.<ref>https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/17/05/2022/biden-sending-us-troops-back-to-somalia-after-trump-pulled-out</ref> ===Relations =Nordstream pipeline==== On February 7, 2022 Michael Hudson, a research professor of Economics at University of Missouri, Kansas City, wrote:{{quotebox-float|"The only way left for U.S. diplomats to block European purchases [of Russian gas] is to goad Russia into a military response and then claim that avenging this response outweighs any purely national economic interest. As hawkish Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs, [[Victoria Nuland]], explained in a State Department press briefing on January 27 [2022]: “If Russia invades Ukraine one way or another [[Nord Stream 2]] will not move forward.” The problem is to create a suitably offensive incident and depict Russia as the aggressor.<ref>https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2022/02/michael-hudson-americas-real-adversaries-are-its-european-and-other-allies.html</ref>}}In October 2022 ''Politico'' reported that French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told the French National Assembly,{{quotebox-float|"We must not allow the conflict in Ukraine to result in American economic domination and a weakening of Europe...We cannot accept that our American partner sells its LNG at four times the price at which it sells it to its own companies."<ref>https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2022/10/frances-le-maire-warns-against-american-gas-domination-00061111</ref>}} ====Ukraine===={{See also|Russia-Ukraine war}}[[File:Ukrainian Joan of Arc.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The Ukrainian Joan of Arc, according to ''Elle'' magazine, was arrested in connection with the murder of two Kyiv police officers in May 2015.<ref>https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3073478/Teen-girl-feted-Ukraine-s-Joan-Arc-fighting-against-Russian-rebels-revealed-nasty-neo-Nazi-views-arrested-killing-cops.html</ref>]]On March 26, 2022 two officers of the main department of external security of the Ministry of Defense of the French Republic (DGSE) flying by helicopter were shot down by [[Russian]] forces while on a mission to withdraw fighters from the [[Battle of Mariupol]].<ref>https://avia--pro-net.translate.goog/news/na-ukraine-sbit-vertolyot-s-oficerami-francuzskoy-razvedki-dgse</ref> The two were immediately taken prisoner by the Russians. According to reports by both a Russian and Ukrainian source, French soldiers from the Special Operations Command were in Mariupol side by side with the Azov Nazis. Troops attached to the Special Operations Command are under the orders of Chief of the Defense Staff, General Thierry Burkhard, but they receive their orders directly from the Chief of the Armed Forces, President Emmanuel Macron. On March 31, 2022, General Eric Vidaud, the head of the Direction of Military Intelligence (DRM), was fired.<ref>https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/03/31/frances-intelligence-chief-failed-predict-invasion-step-immediately/</ref> Public broadcaster France-Télévision presented a report on during the France-2 evening news, on March 31, 2022.<ref>https://www.voltairenet.org/article216354.html?id_article=216354#social</ref> The report acknowledged that the [[Azov Battalion]] consisted of neo-Nazi elements since 2014, singling out one of its founders, [[Andriy Biletsky]], but insisted that it had evolved into a respectable defense force. However, France-2 omitted to mention its other founder, [[Dmytro Yarosh]], who during the Russia-Ukraine war was Adviser to the [[Commander-in-Chief]] of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). The French channel referred to an old United Nations report documenting systematic torture in [[Donbas]], but it neglected to mention either the Azov Battalion's special prisons uncovered by the Russian army,<ref>https://thesaker.is/former-sbu-employee-revealed-information-about-secret-prisons-in-donbass-and-kievs-involvement-in-downing-mh17/</ref> or statements issued by the UN in this regard. France-2 also failed to explain the weight of the [[Banderite]]s in [[Ukrainian nationalist]] history, reducing the prominence of the neo-Nazis to brandishing the [[swastika]]. France-2 reported the threat to be between 3,000 and 5,000 men, while ''[[Reuters]]'' reported the paramilitary [[Banderite]]s number to be 102,000 men, split into several militias incorporated within the [[Territorial Defense]]. A former French Army soldier who spent several weeks in Ukraine delivering medical equipment and supplies told Sud Radio:{{quotebox-float|"There, on the spot I saw [[war crimes]]. I saw a lot of war crimes. The only crimes I saw during the days I was there were perpetrated by Ukrainian forces...I saw Russian soldiers who were taken prisoner, bound and badly beaten…They were brought [to a detention area] in groups of three or four in minibuses. Every soldier exiting the minibus received a bullet from a Kalashnikov rifle in the knee…Those who admitted that they were officers got shot in the head...When I returned to France, I was extremely shocked by what the people who were invited on the TV shows were saying. A chasm exists between what I see and hear on TV and what I saw on the spot. For me it’s abominable...It shocks me enormously that Europe still gives weapons to a force which in my view are neo-Nazis, who have neo-Nazi insignia. We don’t talk about it. It’s an [[SS]] insignia brandished across Ukraine, everywhere...No one in Ukraine seems concerned about this, while we arm them with European weapons. They go off and commit war crimes, I saw this myself."<ref>https://youtu.be/ZoKnhXnp-Zk</ref>}}Former President [[Nicolas Sarkozy]] criticized the [[European Commission]] and [[Ursula von der Leyen]] in an interview with ''Le Journal du Dimanche'' on October 23, 2022. The issues of [[foreign policy]] and arms supplies to Ukraine go beyond the mandate of the European Commission, which is primarily a political organization. "I do not understand under what article of the European agreements European Commission President [[Ursula von der Leyen]] can justify her competence in terms of arms procurement and foreign policy." The EU must be careful not to foment military escalation in Ukraine, Sarkozy said. "The only thing that the Europeans are hearing today is the allocation of additional billions for the purchase of weapons. More weapons, more deaths, more war! We are hostages of miscalculations, exaltation, irritation and thoughtless actions. We are balancing on the edge of a volcano," Sarkozy said.<ref>https://www-lejdd-fr.translate.goog/Politique/exclusif-retraites-ukraine-congres-lr-nicolas-sarkozy-sort-de-son-silence-et-livre-ses-analyses-au-jdd-4142556?_x_tr_sl=fr&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US</ref> ====Burkina Faso====After a [[coup]] in the nation [[Burkina Faso]], residents demanded that [[Russia]] intervene and throw the French out.<ref>https://archive.ph/3H6aV#selection-363.0-367.146</ref> ====Mali====On October 18, 2022 ''[[Reuters]]'' reported that [[Mali]] vowed to defend its territorial [[sovereign]]ty from [[French]] [[NATO]] invaders.<ref>https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/mali-threatens-defend-against-french-sovereignty-violations-2022-10-18/</ref> ====United States====France is America's oldest ally; French military intervention was instrumental in helping Britain's American colonies establish independence. Because many battles in which the United States was involved during World War I and World War II took place in France, more American soldiers have been killed on French soil than on that of any other foreign country.
Relations between the United States and France are active and cordial. Mutual visits by high-level officials are conducted frequently. Bilateral contact at the cabinet level has traditionally been active. France and the United States share common values and have parallel policies on most political, economic, and security issues. Differences are discussed frankly and have not generally been allowed to impair the pattern of close cooperation that characterizes relations between the two countries.
[[File:President Obama and President Sarkozy 2009.jpg|thumb|320px300px|President Obama and President NATO aggression against Libya was perpetrated by Nicolas Sarkozy, 2009and Barack Obama.The [[Libyan war]] restored the Black African [[slave trade]],]]
France is one of NATO's top three troop contributors. The French support NATO modernization efforts and are leading contributors to the NATO Response Force (NRF). France is keen to build European defense capabilities, including through the development of EU battle-group sized force packages and joint European military production initiatives. Defense Minister Morin supports development of a European defense that must complement, not compete with, NATO, which remains at the core of transatlantic security. French resistance, however, to efforts to reinforce NATO's reach beyond the North Atlantic region remain a source of contention.
Relations at a cultural and popular level are complex. While many Americans see the French as too quick surrender in the face of military conflict, many French people view suspiciously America's willingness to go to war. There are suspicions that America will only fight to secure wealth primarily oil or its ideology of the US version of liberty with disregard for other nation's views. Americans often view French culture as being very elitist and overly reliant on the high arts while some French take exception to American "cultural imperialism" even though the French are keen consumers of American-style fast food, cinema and modern music. The French are generally proud of the donation of the Statue of Liberty but can sometimes appear ungrateful for the help America and other Allies gave in World War 2.
==Security IssuesMilitary=={{See also|French Wars}}[[File:French July 14Facing Russians, we are an army of cheerleaders.jpgPNG|rightleft|200px400px|thumb|''Marianne'', March 7, 2024.]]French military doctrine is based on the concepts of national independence, [[nuclear weapon]]s deterrence, and military sufficiency. France is a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ([[NATO]]), and has worked actively with Allies to adapt NATO, internally and externally, to the post-Cold War environment. However, in 1966, the French withdrew from NATO's military bodies while remaining full participants in the alliance's political councils. In December 1995, France announced that it would increase its participation in NATO's military wing, including the Military Committee. France remains a firm supporter of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and other efforts at cooperation. France rejoined NATO in 2009 shortly before NATO's [[war of aggression]] against [[Libya]] in 2011. Outside of NATO, France has actively and heavily participated in a variety of so-called "peacekeeping" efforts in Africa, the Middle East, and the Balkans, often taking the lead in these operations. France has undertaken a major restructuring to develop a professional military that will be smaller, more rapidly deployable and better tailored for operations outside of mainland France. Key elements of the restructuring include reducing personnel, bases, and headquarters and rationalizing equipment and the armament industry. French active-duty military in June 2007 numbered about 350,000 (including Gendarmes), of which nearly 34,000 were deployed outside of French territory. France completed the move to all-professional armed forces when conscription ended on December 31, 2002.
Outside of NATO, France has actively and heavily participated in a variety of peacekeeping/coalition efforts in Africa, the Middle East, and the Balkans, often taking the lead in these operations. France has undertaken a major restructuring to develop a professional military that will be smaller, more rapidly deployable and better tailored for operations outside of mainland France. Key elements of the restructuring include reducing personnel, bases, and headquarters and rationalizing equipment and the armament industry. French active-duty military in June 2007 numbered about 350,000 (including Gendarmes), of which nearly 34,000 were deployed outside of French territory. France completed the move to all-professional armed forces when conscription ended on December 31, 2002.
[[File:Nato - airpower.jpg|thumb|left|300px|NATO-airpower.]]
France places a high priority on arms control<ref>[http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/11/10/151219.shtml French Arms Sales to China]</ref> and non-proliferation. After conducting a final series of six nuclear tests, the French signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in 1996. France has implemented a moratorium on the production, export, and use of anti-personnel landmines and supports negotiations leading toward a universal ban. France is an active participant in the major supplier regimes designed to restrict transfer of technologies that could lead to proliferation of weapons of mass destruction: the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Australia Group (for chemical and biological weapons), the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and the Missile Technology Control Regime. France participates actively in the Proliferation Security Initiative, and is engaged with the U.S., both bilaterally and at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), to curb nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) proliferation from the D.P.R.K., Iran, Libya, and elsewhere. France has joined with the U.S., Germany, and the other three permanent members of the UN Security Council to offer a package of incentives and disincentives to Iran to halt its uranium enrichment activities. France has also signed and ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention. France maintains a color-coded security system, similar to that of the U.S., consisting of yellow, orange, red and scarlet threat levels.
At least 62 French soldiers have been killed in [[Afghanistan]] during [[Operation Enduring Freedom]] since its inception in 2001.<ref>[http://www.defense.gouv.fr/operations/afghanistan/in-memoriam/in-memoriam In Memoriam]</ref>
{{clear}}===Gun control and Islamic terrorism===
Despite having very strict [[gun control]] laws, there have been many [[List of Islamist terrorist attacks|Islamic terrorist attacks]] in France.<ref>Hawkins, Awr (April 21, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/04/21/france-2015-to-present-strict-gun-control-a-paper-tiger/ France 2015 to Present: Strict Gun Control a Paper Tiger]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved April 22, 2017.</ref>
In May 2023, stressing the importance of anti-terrorism collaboration between intelligence services from both sides of the Atlantic, France's Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said that "for [[Europe]]ans and for France the primary risk is Sunni Islamist terrorism."<ref>Ashleigh Furlong, [https://www.politico.eu/article/france-minister-warns-resumption-sunni-islamist-terrorism-threat-europe-gerard-darmanin/ French minister warns of resumption of ‘Islamist terrorist’ threat in Europe], ''Politico EU'', May 20, 2023.</ref>
===2023 riots===
{{See also|2023 France riots}}
Weapons delivered to [[Ukraine]] by [[NATO]] and [[the West]] ended up in the hands of protesters and were used against police. The foreign arms provided to [[nationalist]]s, [[Nazi]]s and [[fascist]]s on Ukrainian territory backfired and not only ended up in [[Western]] donor countries, but were also used against their own people.<ref> https://korybko.substack.com/p/france-is-suffering-blowback-from</ref>
===NATO war in Ukraine===
{{See also|NATO war in Ukraine}}
At the end of February 2024, Macron set the task for the French Ministry of the Armed Forces to study the issue of sending forces of the Foreign Legion to Ukraine. On February 27, 2024, by order of the French command, the formation of three companies of fighters from the Foreign Legion began.
According to the French ''Marianne'' paper in March 2024, a secret series of 'assessments' by the French military written in the fall of 2023, following [[2023 Ukraine counteroffensive|Kiev's disastrous ground offensive]], concluded that: "[[Ukraine]] cannot win this [[war]] militarily." The report praises the [[Russian]] forces as the new “tactical and technical” standard of how to run defensive operations and debunks the media myth of “meat assaults."<ref>https://www.marianne.net/monde/europe/guerre-en-ukraine-endurance-russe-echec-de-la-contre-offensive-ce-que-cache-le-virage-de-macron</ref> A summary of the report states:
{{quotebox-float|"While [[Macron]] might be preparing something disastrous, the French Armed Forces are trying to sound the alarm through the French [[media]].
In the French publication ''Marianne'', which is very close to the French political class, French officers speaking on condition of anonymity spoke about their impressions of the [[war in Ukraine]], the [[AFU]] and the Russian Armed Forces.
In summary, the officers speaking to the publication rated the Russian Army very highly. The Russian Army, contrary to [[Liberal media|Western media]], trains its new recruits properly, organizes rotation of personnel and units in the frontline, and always mixes veterans with new recruits so the new soldiers can learn more quickly.
By contrast the Ukrainians blew their best and last chance for victory in the [[2023 Ukraine counteroffensive|Summer 2023 offensive]]. The French Armed Forces also estimate Ukraine needs 30,000 - 35,000 new conscripts or recruits every month to keep their force levels steady but currently the Ukrainians are only inducting half that number.
The article assesses that there is no conceivable path currently to a Ukrainian military victory."<ref>DDGeopolitics</ref>}}
On March 5, 2024, the French military leadership and the command of the Legion approved the staffing of the battalion tactical group, to include 1,500 military personnel. This battalion tactical group includes three companies of the Legion, which were assigned for this unit before. These are :
*one material support company;
*two engineering companies.
The battalion tactical group should also include:
*up to 6 motorized infantry and armored companies
*as well as the operating team.
The French command failed to assure the declared manpower of the battalion tactical group from the members of the Legion. That’s why the French military leadership has decided to fill the ranks of the group with personnel from the Ministry of the Armed Forces. The supposed ratio of members of the Foreign Legion to regular military personnel of the Ministry of the Armed Forces in the newly formed battalion tactical group is approximately 1 to 2.
0n March 7, 2024 Macron proposed sending [[NATO]] troops to [[Ukraine]]. While it's debatable whether Article 5 of the NATO Charter would extend to members' troops in third countries like Ukraine, it would be a moot question in that scenario since the participation of [[nuclear]]-armed France and/or the [[UK]] is enough to lead to nuclear brinksmanship if they clash with Russia there. All the more so if America approves of their intervention or at least doesn’t try to stop it, in which case it might back them up, possibly to the point of threatening to use [[America]]'s own [[nuke]]s if the fighting doesn’t stop.<ref>[https://korybko.substack.com/p/romania-revealed-the-legal-means Romania Revealed The Legal Means Through Which NATO States Might Intervene In Ukraine], ANDREW KORYBKO, MAR 13, 2024. korybko.substack.com</ref>
In the first half of March 2024, the battalion tactical group began combat coordination at the la Courtine training camp.
== Economy ==
France is the second-largest trading nation in Western Europe (after Germany). France ran a $33.7 billion deficit in 2006. Total trade for 2006 amounted to $1,013.5 billion, over 45% of GDP 75.0% of which was with EU-24 countries. In 2003, U.S.-France trade in goods and services totaled $80.3 billion. U.S. industrial chemicals, aircraft and engines, electronic components, telecommunications, computer software, computers and peripherals, analytical and scientific instrumentation, medical instruments and supplies, broadcasting equipment, and programming and franchising are particularly attractive to French importers. Total French trade of goods and services was $1,001 billion in 2006.
Principal French exports to the United States are [[aircraft]] and [[engine]]s, beverages, electrical equipment, chemicals, cosmetics, and luxury products. France is the ninth-largest trading partner of the United States.{{Clear}}France, as an U.S. ally, continues to trade with the United States.
===Agriculture===