Institute for National StrategicStudies

THE MITTERRAND LEGACY

AND THE FUTURE OF

FRENCH SECURITY POLICY

RONALD TIERSKY

NATIONAL DEFENSE UNIVERSITY

McNair Paper 43

August 1995

A popular Government,

without popular information or the means of

acquiring it,

is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or

perhaps both.

Knowledge will forever govern ignorance;

And a people who mean to be their own

Governors,

must arm themselves with the power which

knowledge gives.

JAMES MADISON to W. T. BARRY

August 4, 1822

Contents

Copyright Information

1. BACKGROUND

France and Post-Cold War European Security
Mitterrand's Legacy
2. CONCEPTS AND DOCTRINE

The New Nexus of Security and Integration
The Security Concern of Muslim Fundamentalism
The Crise des Fondements: Gaullism, National Interest, and European Security
Bosnia, France, and European Security
3. SOME FRENCH MILITARY TRENDS

Force Development: The 1995-2000 Military Plan
Mitterrand's Nuclear Legacy
The Nuclear Test Moratorium
4. INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENTS

The Balladur Cohabitation Government
A French-British Defense Axis?
Developing the OSCE
An Inter-African Peacekeeping Force?
5. AFTER MITTERRAND

NOTES

APPENDIX: Selected 1994 White Paper Map

APPENDIX: Selected 1994 White Paper Map

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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