Obama election a plus point for France

France was delighted with the results of the US presidential elections in November, when Barack Obama defeated John McCain. In a country where criticism against the United States is widespread, this turn of events was greeted with genuine enthusiasm.

The election of an African American candidate to the White House has ushered in a new era that most observers worldwide have celebrated. In France, where attempts to integrate ethnic minorities into society are achieving mixed results, there is now widespread admiration for the US. The American people have made great progress, especially if we consider that two generations ago African Americans lived under a system of segregation.

Obama is therefore hugely popular in France. A poll conducted here indicated that had the French been able to participate in the election, 93 per cent of them would have voted for the Democrat candidate.

Political leaders in France are similarly unified in their admiration for Obama. Traditionally, the right wing in France is closely aligned with the Republican Party in the US, while the left sides with the Democrats. During this election, however, very few French politicians come out in support of McCain. France is largely united in its rejection of the policies of the George W. Bush administration and its desire for real change in the US.

For President Nicolas Sarkozy, Obama's election is an early Christmas present. Sarkozy may be centre-right, but history has shown us that heads of state from different political backgrounds can work well together. For example, the right wing French president Giscard d'Estaing and the left wing German chancellor Helmut Schmitt were friends and close political allies. The same could be said for the right wing chancellor Helmut Kohl and the socialist François Mitterrand.

In any case, Sarkozy has good reason to welcome Obama's election because it is likely to avert a confrontation with the French people over his foreign policy.

Sarkozy's foreign policy has been dictated by his desire to mend the relationship with the US, an alliance that deteriorated during the Jacques Chirac years and the war in Iraq. He is deeply convinced that France, as a Western nation, must side with Washington against global threats.

His problem, then, is that the majority of the French people do not share these views. Instead, public opinion in France has it that the US is a major contributor to strategic insecurity. For this reason, the French people would prefer to remain aloof from Washington.

This isolationism has been ingrained in the French psyche since the presidency of Charles de Gaulle, and became even more entrenched as a result of the policies implemented by the Bush administration.

To prove his loyalty to Washington and get the relationship between the traditional allies back on track, Sarkozy declared in June that France would increase its participation in Nato from which it largely withdrew under de Gaulle. The reintegration is expected to take place ahead of the 60th anniversary of Nato's founding in April 2009.

This announcement was not well received by Gaullists and gave leftists reason to protest - indeed, they enjoyed the opportunity to criticise Sarkozy knowing that public opinion was strongly behind them.

We can take it for granted that had McCain been elected, the French public would have been even more vehemently opposed to the nation playing a more active role in Nato.

Militarism

The Gaullist legacy is still strong in France and McCain is perceived as a hawk. Many Frenchmen are convinced that McCain would have launched new military operations had he been elected.

Had Sarkozy persisted with his reintegration project with McCain in the White House, he would have been headed for a showdown not only with parliament, but also with the French people.

With Obama in place his task will be much easier. For the French parliament to oppose anything related to the reinforcement of French-American cooperation will be almost impossible, at least during the first months of the Obama presidency. Therefore, Sarkozy can relax knowing that he will not have to fight public sentiment to achieve his goals

Another positive for Sarkozy is that Obama has stated that he will make tackling global warming a priority. Global warming was the primary area in which the French president differed with his American counterpart.

However, there is one aspect of Obama's foreign policy that may create problems for Sarkozy. The US president elect has state that he wants to increase the military presence in Afghanistan. Obama is likely to ask his European allies to share this burden. France supported military intervention in Afghanistan and has had troops in the country since 2002. However, the conflict in Afghanistan appears increasingly hopeless.

There are doubts about the way in which US military commanders are managing the campaign and French soldiers have suffered substantial losses. It is becoming apparent to the French public that its troops are embroiled in an all-out war, rather than a peacekeeping mission. Not surprisingly, reluctance to be involved is building.

It would be difficult for Sarkozy to deny Obama an increased French military presence in Afghanistan, but it might be even more challenging for him to sell the idea to the French public.

Dr Pascal Boniface is the founder and director of IRIS (Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques). He has published or edited more than 40 books dealing with international relations, nuclear deterrence and disarmament, European security and French international policy.