The Chasm between France and the United States Essays -- Foriegn Polic

The Chasm between France and the United States France and the United States have a long history of alliance. In the recent past cooperation has been limited, if not reluctant on both parts, and the relationship is evolving. On some levels, the two are not called to deal directly with each other, instead, there is an American identity versus a European identity, as well as an American identity versus a French identity. However, the special relationship between France and the United States is far from being over, and good relations between the two are vital to both countries in order to pursue the national interests of each. This research will consider the differences in foreign policy perspective between the US and France during the Bosnian crisis, the war in Afghanistan, and the International Criminal Court issue, attempting to illustrate the awkwardness of the synchronization of policy between France and the United States. The important changes that have taken place in each nation’s government over the last 200 years have been the driving cause of the evolution of the relationship between the Americans and the French in their passage from two infant democracies conceived in the idealism of the late 18th century to the current world powers that each currently has become. From the beginning of its independence from Great Britain, the United States has had a sort of marriage with France, if for the wrong reasons, which lasted until perhaps WW2, before France’s post WW2 humiliation and De Gaulle’s attempts to restore national power. The separation came during the cold war, during what could be called a mid-century crisis, in which France sought to prove their independence from the increasing... ... Alliance Since World War II. Maxwell MacMillan Canada Inc., 1992. 4. Dempsey, Judy. â€Å"Europe’s Divided Self.† Financial Times 09 July 2002. 5. Hagund, David G.â€Å"The France-US Leadership Race,Closely Watched Allies,†Queens Quarterly Press (Kingston,Ontario: 2000). 6. Holmes, Stephen. â€Å"Liberalism in the Mirror of Transnational Terror† The Tocqueville Review Vol. XXII No: 2-2001Philippe Roger, quoted in John Vincour, â€Å"Why France Disdains America,† The International Herald Tribune 9 Oct. 2002 7. Kagan, Robert. â€Å"Power and Weakness.† Policy Review, No. 113. 8. Rà ©my, Daniel. Qui Veut Tuer la France? (Paris: Jaques Grancher Editeur, 1999) 9.Shapiro, Jeremy, et al. â€Å"The Role of France in the War on Terrorism.† (The Brookings Institution, 2002). 10. Vincour, John. â€Å"Why France Disdains America.† The International Herald Tribune 9 October 2002.