Paris fumes after NATO secretary-general tells the European Parliament that the continent could not defend itself without America.
The French government responded curtly to Mark Rutte after the NATO secretary-general said Europe could not defend itself without the U.S.
“No, dear Mark Rutte. Europeans can and must take charge of their own security. Even the United States agrees. This is the European pillar of NATO,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.
On Monday, answering a question from French far-right MEP Pierre-Romain Thionnet, Rutte told the European Parliament that the continent cannot defend itself without American support. He also pushed back against the idea of a European army — a concept revived recently by EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius — and said a “European pillar [of NATO] is a bit of an empty word.”
This is just people memeing on them for their lackluster performance in WWII. Say what you will about that, but they certainly learned their lesson - since then they’ve been a military powerhouse, frankly the only European country that consistently pulls its weight in that respect. If other EU countries were Gaullist their combined military would outclass the US.
And that’s not even getting into their “nuke first, ask quesitons later” policy.
The US would not exist if France hadn’t bankrupted itself to spite England 250 years ago. They got the French Revolution and much death as a result.
Also, aside from the absolute, categorical failure of French strategic planning and leadership at the start of the Second World War, the Free French forces significantly contributed to a ton of campaigns during the war. Not to mention: WW2 was a divergence from the norm for France. Before, and since, they have been and still are a strategic military powerhouse, are able to punch far above their weight, and have pointedly maintained a serious domestic defense industry - which, nowadays, is showing very clear and obvious benefits.
Even that (the memeing for their performance inWWII) has only come about in the last 40-50 years. People in the west used to poke fun at Poland for their lack of military might. Also, had the Nazis not gone thru Belgium, France, speculatively, would have been able to hold them at least for awhile. It’s because of them getting routed like that that allowed their military to quickly dissolve and pivot, turning into a relatively organized resistance.
Pretty sure France has the best military record in the West. So this position and type of posturing is in their wheelhouse for sure