Summary
Annelène Damen
Terug van weggeweest? Reïntegratie van Frankrijk in militaire commandostructuur van de NAVO
Annelène Damen focuses on France's return into NATO's integrated military command and its ambiguous relationship with NATO during and after the Cold War. The author points out how, traditionally, France's foreign policy strives to increase its influence while seeking to preserve its independence on fundamental military issues. Due to the necessary strategic reorientation after the fall of the Berlin Wall, France sought closer ties with NATO. This resulted in a failed at-tempt to return to the integrated military command in 1996. Nevertheless, France's priority has been and remains the development of a common European Defence. The return of France would be symbolic and rooted in pragmatic considerations that it should lead to further development of the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP). But, for this latter to happen depends on the position of NATO and EU partners on ESDP as well as how NATO and ESDP will be able to optimize their cooperation in the future.