France News & Analysis

This week we examine how a rapidly evolving situation in Greenland could remake trans-Atlantic relations, details of the long-awaited US-Taiwan tariff deal, a shock government offensive that changed the map of Syria, and Canada’s efforts to thaw out its relations with China.

France’s plans for a domestic medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) program might be a source of national pride, but they could also be a point of contention with European partners and there are better alternatives available.

In committing to a new nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, France as one state is doing what collective EU frameworks have struggled to achieve. But there will be long-lasting strategic consequences.

This week we examine a conspicuously warm visit by President Putin to New Delhi, Washington’s new and impractically hard line on European operations under NATO, a setback for a Trump-endorsed peace plan in Eastern DRC, and warning signs in Japanese bond markets that could spill over into global financial flows.

Russia’s mass deployment of incarcerated prisoners to the frontlines of Ukraine makes for good economics if not ethics. But don’t expect it to catch on in Western Europe, at least for now.

Since 2022, French military forces have been forced to withdraw from several ex-colonial African states, calling the concept of ‘Françafrique’ into question. But the more things change, the more they stay the same.

The 15% rate imposed by the recent EU-US trade deal will fundamentally restructure trade, energy, and defense flows across the Atlantic, advancing US economic and strategic priorities and putting the EU under substantial adjustment pressure going forward.

Europe is no longer asking if war with Russia is coming. It’s asking when.

Libya, visa, and trade issues have stymied France-Turkey relations, but instances of pragmatic cooperation over the past two years suggest the possibility of stabilization moving forward.

The “New York-for-Paris” dilemma won’t be going away, but it can be mitigated by a “Paris-for-Berlin” approach, which is more credible due to geographic proximity and a shared European identity.

The European drive to develop a homegrown nuclear deterrent capacity neither resolves the ‘New York-for-Paris’ dilemma nor offers a viable alternative.

This week we cover a simmering political crisis in Bosnia, attempts to revive the Canadian armed forces, the US-mediated DRC-Rwanda peace process, and France’s diplomatic pitch to Southeast Asia.

With the center of tactical gravity shifting toward drones and AI, the EU and its member states are now playing catch-up in a race to improve domestic R&D and production capacity.

The political forces that thwarted the European Defense Community - a previous attempt at a common EU army and defense policy - still exist today, looming large over Brussels' attempts to establish an autonomous strategic posture and escape from Washington’s shadow.

President Trump’s geopolitical pivot from Europe will boost previous efforts by Brussels to enact a more autonomous European defense posture. Yet structural challenges loom large over the process.