France must not rob Pierre to pay Paul

A change is as good as a rest - as the English saying goes - and the new French government appears to prove it. So intent upon a drive in many different directions is Nicolas Sarkozy’s administration, that the sensation is quite refreshing.

Without delving into delicate national matters or raising issues such as the EU’s Stability and Growth Pact, it is possible to note the joint solution to the EADS structural impasse which has been lingering for years, niggling away at Franco-German relations. And it is clear that there has been a substantive change in the French approach to the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) - the more open approach to the US, the determination to work in concert with the UK prior to summits in order to assure a joint line, the desire to put the EU, and France within it, at the forefront of international affairs.

France has actually got an undeservedly negative image about its international efforts, largely because of its disagreements with the US and the UK. This mostly dates back to 2003, when France was at the forefront of objections to the invasion of Iraq, thus causing the many punters who inhabit Capitol Hill reputedly to eat ‘freedom fries’ instead of ‘French fries’ and for any politician worth his or her salt to say nasty things about all things Gallic. In reality, France has one of the most professional militaries in Europe and probably the world, which is currently deployed in no less than 26 missions around the world at the behest of the UN, the EU and even NATO in Afghanistan; that is impressive, but also verging on overstretch.

Among the various refreshing aspects of the new French government is its Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, who seems not to be worried about the thin spread of his nation’s forces and has now offered to put them at the forefront of an EU effort in Chad, which is swarming with refugees who have fled the awfulness of Darfur. Unfortunately the presence of these refugees is now threatening to destabilise Chad, thereby adding to the mayhem in central Africa. The idea is to mount a ESDP mission, as a support to the planned - if not confirmed - joint UN-African Union mission that the international community is at last trying to impose upon Sudan sometime in the autumn.

Overall, any intervention aimed at alleviating the horrific suffering of the people of Darfur, wherever they are, is to be welcomed - and doubly so if it is mounted by the EU, which has so far shirked any proper assistance to this calamity. France and Kouchner undoubtedly deserve some credit in this respect. But, notes of caution need to be sounded too.

First of all, Kouchner is without a doubt a force for good, but is not always a force willing to accommodate the necessities of diplomacy. And while this is usually a good thing, since diplomacy has become synonymous with dragging things out till the subject matter has either died or become totally obscured, experience shows that ignoring EU diplomacy does not pay off: the member states have a habit of kicking at whoever tries to railroad them into something they do not agree with, especially if it is related to the ESDP. France would therefore be wise to consult its allies thoroughly before deciding on a mission, even if it intends to supply the bulk of the troops.

Second, there should be absolute clarity that a new mission cannot come at the expense of any existing commitment. Unfortunately, since most member states, including France, have very limited resources, a new deployment will usually come at the expense of an existing commitment. But helping Chad while withdrawing from Lebanon, for example, will not necessarily be a move to greater international stability.

Peacekeeping, or peace enforcement, has long been a game of robbing Peter to pay Paul, as another English saying goes. Most western states seek to cut defence budgets and capabilities rather than increase them. Unfortunately, their politicians tend to ignore this reality - which they themselves are responsible for - when it comes to making international commitments. France is to be applauded for making the EU finally commit itself to Darfur, but it must make sure there can be full substance to the commitment - starting from its own military.

• Ilana Bet-El is an academic, author and policy adviser based in Brussels.

A change is as good as a rest - as the English saying goes - and the new French government appears to prove it. So intent upon a drive in many different directions is Nicolas Sarkozy’s administration, that the sensation is quite refreshing.