French Embrace of NATO’s Power Is Huge Step for World: View

Aug. 31 (Bloomberg) -- The government of France hasconcluded that its national security can best be served throughactive leadership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Weagree.

With the U.S. displaying increasing ambivalence toward thealliance, the evolving French position couldn’t come at a bettertime. France had kept its distance from NATO since PresidentCharles De Gaulle pulled out of the alliance’s unified militarycommand in 1966. De Gaulle argued that NATO was dominated by theU.S. and the U.K., and that France needed an independent defensepolicy to maintain its status as a great power. SubsequentFrench presidents from both the Gaullist and Socialist partiessought to build a European Union defense capability as acompetitor to NATO, free of U.S. influence.