France's FP has always been the worst of the worst. I mean the U.S. is no angel, but we tend to bumble our way into quagmires, then apologize profusely afterwards. What France has done globally (especially in Africa) should be prosecuted. I mean, if Frenchies are gonna say that Dick Cheney should be prosecuted for war crimes in iraq, if that's their standard, then Chirac should be executed for his complicity in the rawandan genocide for gods sake. France...can't live with em, can't...live with em.

Sarkozy was in Turkey yesterday. In my life of 28 years, I had never seen or heard a person who could unite all Turkish citizens in their hatred as much as Sarkozy did. He is officially the public enemy right now

The Union for the Mediterranean is a pity example of a grand vision in Sarkozy's foreign policy which is devoid of substance and at complete odds with reality. No doubt it failed miserably, but it is interesting to reconsider it in lights of the ongoing events.

It was clear from the beginning that the North African and Middle East countries were not politically ready for a UfM, and indeed it's hard to imagine how a political union between democratic and authoritarian regimes could be successful. Before considering a EU-NA/ME union, the MENA should be stabilized politically, have sufficiently transitioned to democratic rule and have built a sufficiently strong union of its own. Certainly, the perspective of increasingly large political unions, eventually a world union, is not without merits, but such an endeavor to be achieved requires incremental steps.

France's foreign policy should rather focus on allowing NA/ME countries to progress towards democratic rule and stability, rather than advancing unrealistic grand projects on one hand, and collaborating with authoritarian regimes in a way that satisfies the ruling caste's interests on the other. And they should certainly remember that authoritarian regimes are not an insurance of stability in the long term, the US and other western countries relied on this pure illusion to protect their interests, this has been an incentive to hold back on democracy promotion and to avoid frustrating the ruling castes of these authoritarian regimes. This created resentment in the local population, and now that these countries transition to democratic rule, it is much feared that it can pose a risk to Western interests. But this ought to be mitigated by the fact that Western cultural (and technological) influence played a major role in the uprisings, in fact the political demands were for democracy, social justice, equal rights, etc, all considered to be Western values. Western countries have long been an example of ideal to strive (or look) for among NA/ME populations, together with socio-economical factors they explain the most part of immigration. Indeed, despite what China officials say, all peoples aspire broadly to the same ideals, democracy included. This strong desire of the peoples vastly overshadows considerations of religion, or even the I/P conflict. Due to those overriding common ideals, transition to democracy will move EU countries and NA/ME countries closer to each other politically. As a case in point, we should look at Turkey, a largely Muslim country with a population in favor of joining EU.

Thus it is likely that with time, the transition to democracy of NA and ME countries will make a political union between EU and NA/ME countries possible, and even inevitable. But still much work is needed to come to that point.

Morocco is not European?
Ok. But then why is Spain in Africa?
And why are French troops in Chad, and UAE, and Mali, and so on?

This article was good in pointing out some fundamental failures of France, but it did not go far enough. France is not only morally bankrupt, its complicit and accountable for supporting truly despicable regimes to advance ITS interests to the detriment of the people of these regimes.

If I give you narcotics so you become an addict and can't keep your job, so I can buy your house cheap, perhaps from an auction, or perhaps you sell me your house for crack, then I'm complicit.

If a guy befriends you so you invite him to your house so he can slip a date rape drug into your wife's drink and have his way with her, then he's a diabolical evil SOB who needs to be buried back in the woods.

France is both of these.

France is complicit in supporting Algeria's military junta/mafia as well as the Ben Ali regime.
Algeria's civil war was also an uprising that started peaceful. But America and France told the military- X that. Shut it all down and nullify the elections.
And civil war began.

And the Algerians staged military massacres too. But the West approved.

So all these French diplomats and their amoral quandaries- they can all go to hell.
As far as I am concerned and many others, France is an enemy to North Africa.

An enemy with a long history of diabolical evil SOB malevolence. Moral bankruptcy? More like amoral sociopathy.

Speaking of Morocco, the West has prostituted Morocco so bad that now Moroccans are know for being prostitutes throughout much of the world. Berlesconi's survived so many elections and criminal trials but may be brought down by a 17 year old Moroccan prostitute.

And Saud Arabia banned Moroccan women under 36 from attending Makka or hajj because of the high frequency and complaints of prostitution.
Not to mention how sex tourism to Morocco has been well known for over 100 years as part of the Western exotic hedonistic indulgence in the Orient.

Morocco is not European, but it is the orifice for Europe, apparently.

Unless the people finally throw off the bloody queer monarch ruling on their necks, the son of the butcher Hassan who killed well over 100,000 of his own people to keep them submissive to the West.

At least one brothel/hotel was burnt down in Morocco in recent days.

French foreign policy conducts have been nothing but a big nightmare for people living under dictatorship in poor countries. The real can of worms will be opened whenever the population in sub Saharan Africa starts to challenge the regimes that have been brutalizing them for years with the support of successive French governments. From Cameroon through Burkina faso, Niger to Mali, you have fake democracies with presidents staying put forever while enjoying the brazen support of the french. Without the french troops that reinstated the late Omar Bongo, people of Gabon will not be visited with modern monarchy today. It is the same in Togo where the son of a former french ex soldier has taken over. The french don't just support dictatorship all over Africa, they support the most vile of dictators and more than anything, the willingness of the french government to use force to put down revolts against these dictators helped stunt democratic development in these countries.

I am not surprised a Frenchman suggested that the french were in Ivory Coast to stop a war when they actually started the war through their man in Burkinafaso. Most of these countries have been battling for real independece. The despots there , armed and protected by french forces show no respect for their people.. Other former colonialists like the British and the Portuguese dont meddle so openly. The problem starts with the fact that Foreign Policy is a preserve of the presidency in france. Coupled with the fact that the president can deploy his forces abroad almost whimsically, most french citizens don't really know the atrocious conducts of their presidents overseas, especially in Africa through these "special forces". What are the french forces doing in Central African Republic? Defending a totally ineffective leader there. The Arabs might overlook what the french have done with the likes of Ben Ali but i don't think that will be the case down south where brutal despots have been in power for years backed by the french army. Lots of people there wont forget this modern enslavement in a hurry.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The French have always gotten how to live life right, and how to draft policy of any kind so very, very wrong. From colonialism all the way up to the Burqa ban, there seems to be nothing that they do better (on the governmental level) then to piss people off. That said, the U.S. aint no model of decency itself...but I would put it head and shoulders above France.