INTRODUCTION: France's ‘return’ to NATO: implications for transatlantic relations

Abstract

The paper looks at France's return to NATO, looking at the impact of its ongoing reintegration in the alliance's military structure from a strategic, a political and an operational perspective. We address three main questions: (1) How will France's reintegration affect other NATO countries? This question will be answered from the perspectives of Canada, the UK, Germany and the United States; (2) How will France cope with the transition? French experts will assess the French debate on NATO, the operational dimension of France's reintegration of the command structure and France's role in transatlantic relations; (3) How will the decision affect the future prospects for allied action? This question will be addressed by looking at the nuclear dimension of NATO, burden-sharing, NATO's transformation and the impact of France's reintegration on European defence.

Keywords:

• France
• NATO
• transatlantic relations

Notes

1. The ESDP was created in 1999, and a decade later, with the entry into force of the EU's Lisbon treaty, its name was officially changed to the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). For reasons of consistency, except where otherwise noted, the articles in this special issue will continue to use the more familiar acronym, ESDP.