Opinions | Editorials
France charts out a new path
Sarkozy shows his Mideast policy is different from the US by talking to Syria.
- Gulf News
- Published: 23:39 June 8, 2008
Nicolas Sarkozy has made a smart move. He has already begun disassociating France from the increasingly failed policies of the Bush administration in the Middle East.
With only seven months remaining for the Bush White House, Sarkozy seems to be preparing himself for the next US president - be it Barak Obama or John McCain - who will expectedly have a different foreign policy in this region.
Both men have said they would rely on a policy of engagement rather than containment and war used by George W. Bush.
The first sign of a Sarkozy change in policy is his plan to engage Syria, long isolated and shunned by Washington and its European allies, including France during the term of former president Jacques Chirac and in the first few months of Sarkozy's rule.
Paris is now planning to upgrade its ties with Damascus. The announced motive is to encourage Syria to support the Lebanese political and security stability, based on the Doha Agreement, which is supported by both France and Syria.
But engaging Syria cannot be looked separately from France's recent talks with Hamas. Sarkozy seems to want to show that there is an independent French foreign policy in the Middle East that is more realistic and practical than Bush's, and this is good for both France and the Middle East.
Share this article
More from Editorials
More from Opinions
Popular in Opinions
-
Opinions
Speak Your Mind: Cyberbullying
How can we protect our children from being Cyber bullied?
Opinion Editor's choice
-
Charges are step in right direction
Pakistan is finally taking action against people linked to the 2008 Mumbai attacks
-
Deal between US, India would provide impetus
If these two could agree, there would be real hope for progress in Copenhagen
-
Time for Irish to move on
The obsession with the Henry handball threatens to harm football far more than what Henry himself did
