France has not always had an easy relationship with NATO. While most of the country’s armed forces are pleased that it is a member of the alliance, many of its diplomats regard the EU project as incomplete as long as the United States ultimately guarantees the continent’s defense. Hence the frequent allusions in EU documents to the need for “strategic autonomy”—a plea from part of the political class in Paris, but also beyond, for the European Union to aspire to assume NATO’s role at some point.
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Tomas Valasek: Macron, the Atlanticist
French President Emmanuel Macron (L) talks with soldiers during a visit at an Estonian military base in Tapa on the sidelines of a European Union summit, on Sept. 29.
