Defence and political integration in the EU: France's particular role

Defence and political integration in the EU:
France's particular role



Article received: 2023.12.20 23:14. Accepted: 2024.05.29 23:14


DOI: 10.17976/jpps/2024.06.13
EDN: YRKLGE


For citation:

Chikhachev A.Yu. Defence and political integration in the EU: France's particular role. – Polis. Political Studies. 2024. No. 6. https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2024.06.13. EDN: YRKLGE (In Russ.)



Abstract

In 2023 INION RAS published a monograph entitled “The Military-Political Dimension of European Integration: The Position of France” by Alexander S. Sidorov, the reputable specialist on France and military expert. The release of such a study seems to be very timely because of a broad expert discussion regarding the European Union's quest for strategic autonomy and its feasibility amid the confrontation between Russia and the West. The author of the book proposes to re-explore the history of political integration in the EU and highlights the special role of France as the initiator of many projects. He emphasizes that the French elites sought to focus the integration process in favor of their own national interests, seeing the emergence of a European power as a way to reinforce France's global positions. Based on the book this article states that, despite some continuity in the European policy of the French presidents, their strategy has been implemented differently over time. The key problem was the limited room for maneuver: realizing the limitations of national instruments of great-power politics, Charles de Gaulle's successors made more and more concessions to their European partners to deepen the integration process. Nowadays, the “Europe of defense” has a wide range of directions and formats, the expansion of which has been achieved by the current president Emmanuel Macron. Yet, there is still no unconditional unity of approaches to this process, and French diplomacy has not fully achieved its goals. As Alexander S. Sidorov rightly summarizes, a united Europe has not become a self-sufficient military and political power, and is unlikely to become one in the nearest future. This raises questions for further discussion on the effectiveness of France's leadership and the extent of its real influence in a changing world.

Keywords
European Union, European integration, European defense, France, foreign policy, defense policy, Charles de Gaulle, Francois Mitterand, Emmanuel Macron.


References

Charillon, F. (2011). La politique dtrangbre de la France. Paris: La Documentation franqaise.

Gomart, T. (2023). Les ambitions inavoudes: Ce que nous prdparent les grandes puissances. Paris: Tallandier.

Pannier, A., & Schmitt, O. (2021). French defence policy since the end of the Cold War. Abington: Routledge.Romanova, T., & David, M. (Ed.). (2021). The Routledge Handbook of EU-Russia relations. Structures, actors, issues. Abington: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351006262

Arbatova, N.K., & Kokeev, A.M. (Ed.). (2020). Strategicheskaya avtonomiya ES i perspektivy sotrudnichestva s Rossiei [Strategic autonomy of the EU and prospects for cooperation with Russia]. Moscow: IMEMO RAS: Ves' Mir. (In Russ.) URL: https://www.imemo.ru/publications/info/strategicheskaya- avtonomiya-es-i-perspektivi-sotrudnichestva-s-rossiey

Fedorov, S.M. (Ed.) (2024). Afrikanski vektor vneshnej politiki Francii: trudnoe rasstavanie s “Fransafrik” [The African vector of France’s foreign policy: a difficult parting with “Frangafrique”]. Moscow: IE RAS: Ves’Mir. (In Russ.)

Gromyko, Al.A. (Ed.). (2022). Evropa v krizisnom mire [Europe in the crisis world]. Moscow: Ves’ Mir. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.55604/9785777708953

Gromyko, Al.A., & Fedorov, V.P. (Ed.). (2019). Evropa mezhdu trekh okeanov [Europe between three oceans]. Moscow: IE RAS: Nestor-Istoriya. (In Russ.)

Klinova, M.V., Kudriavtsev, A.K., & Timofeev, P.P. (Ed.). (2022). Sovremennaya Frantsiya mezhdu trevogami i nadezhdami [Contemporary France: between worries and hopes]. Moscow: IMEMO RAS. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.20542/978-5-9535-0605-2

Klinova, M.V., & Nikitin, A.I. (2024). Politics of France for obtaining European strategic autonomy in outer-space exploration. Polis. Political Studies, 2, 165-178. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2024.02.12

Narochnitskaya, E.A. (2021). The ideological legacy of Charles de Gaulle. I. Paradoxes of perception, historical memory, political philosophy. Perspectives and Prospects. E-journal, 4/1, 80-94. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.32726/2411-3417-2021-1-80-94

Sidorov, A.S. (2012). EU’s Armed Forces: reality or chimera? Contemporary Europe, 1, 134-142. (In Russ.)

Sidorov, A.S. (2023). Voenno-politicheskoe izmerenie evropeiskoi integratsii: pozitsiya Frantsii (ot de Gollya do nashikh dnei) [The military-political dimension of European integration: position of France (from Charles de Gaulle up to nowadays)]. Moscow: INION RAN. (In Russ.)

 

Content No. 6, 2024

See also:


Arbatova N.K.,
Strategic Autonomy of the European Union: Reality or Good Intention?. – Polis. Political Studies. 2019. No6

Arbatova N.K.,
Climate threats – a new dimension of EU security. – Polis. Political Studies. 2022. No6

Melville A.Yu., Ilyin M.V., Makarenko B.I., Meleshkina E.Yu., Mironyuk M.G., Sergeev V.M., Timofeev I.N.,
Russian Foreign Policy as Seen by the Expert Community. – Polis. Political Studies. 2009. No4

Arbatova N.K.,
EU Security: Micro-Aggression with Macro-Consequences. – Polis. Political Studies. 2021. No5

Extraction.,
The European Charter of Local Self-Government and Its Significance. – Polis. Political Studies. 1998. No4

 

   

Introducing an article



Polis. Political Studies
6 2013


Pshizova S.N.
Is it possible to regulate democracy? Part I.

 Полный текст
 

Archive

   2024      2023      2022      2021   
   2020      2019      2018      2017      2016   
   2015      2014      2013      2012      2011   
   2010      2009      2008      2007      2006   
   2005      2004      2003      2002      2001   
   2000      1999      1998      1997      1996   
   1995      1994      1993      1992      1991