This is the State Department's view of France, as of September 2004:
Source:
www.state.gov...
Europe
France is a leader in Western Europe because of its size, location, strong 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 Identity (ESDI) with other EU members, as the
foundation of efforts to enhance European security.
Middle East Peace
France supports Quartet (US-EU-Russia-UN) efforts to implement the the Middle East Road Map. France supports the establishment of a Palestinian state
and the withdrawal of Israel from all occupied territories. Recognizing the need for a comprehensive peace agreement, France supports the involvement
of all Arab parties and Israel in a multilateral peace process. France has been active in promoting a regional economic dialogue and has played an
active role in providing assistance to the Palestinian Authority. France opposed the use of force in Iraq in March 2003 and did not join the US-led
coalition that liberated the country from the dictatorial rule of Saddam Hussein. France contributed in part to the 230 million euro EU contribution
to Iraq reconstruction in 2003, and has suggested possible additional assistance, in the form of police training and debt relief, after formation of a
sovereign Iraqi government.
Africa
France plays a significant role in Africa, especially in its former colonies, through extensive aid programs, commercial activities, military
agreements, and cultural impact. In those former colonies where the French presence remains important, France contributes to political, military, and
social stability. France maintains permanent military bases in Chad, Cote d�Ivoire, Djibouti, Gabon and Senegal. France deployed military forces to
Cote d�Ivoire in 2002 and to Central African Republic in 2003 to address crisis in both countries and, with EU partners, led an international military
operation to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2003.
Asia
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.
Latin America
France supports strengthening democratic institutions in Latin America. It endorses the ongoing efforts to restore democracy to Haiti and seeks to
expand its trade relations with all of Latin America.
Security Issues
French military doctrine is based on the concepts of national independence, nuclear 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. In December 1995, France announced that it would increase its participation in NATO's military wing, including the Military Committee
(the French withdrew from NATO's military bodies in 1966 while remaining full participants in the alliance's political councils). France remains a
firm supporter of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and other efforts at cooperation.
Outside of NATO, France has actively and heavily participated in recent 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 at the beginning of 2001 numbered about 437,573,
of which nearly 39,000 were assigned outside of metropolitan France. France completed the move to all-professional armed forces when conscription
ended on December 31, 2002.
France places a high priority on arms control 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. The French are key players in the adaptation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe to the
new strategic environment.
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 US, both
bilaterally and at the IAEA and OPCW, to curb NBC proliferation from the DPRK, Iran, Libya and elsewhere. France has signed and ratified the Chemical
Weapons Convention.
U.S.-FRENCH RELATIONS
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.
I have to say, hardly an enemy... or a nation of cowards.