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European-American
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Editorial
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France |
A New Foreign Policy for France?
By Dr, Stan Lai, Spokesperon
for
the Formosan Association for Public Affairs Europe
Posted
July 9, 2007
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French
president Nicolas Sarkozy campaigned for a clear pledge to break
with the policies of the past. Those that voted for him hope
that he can reform
France's
bureaucracy and kick start the stagnating French economy. But
for democracy and human rights activists throughout the world,
there is hope that Sarkozy can articulate a foreign policy that
is vastly different from that of his predecessor, Jacques
Chirac.
France has long
prided itself in being a model democracy that is an
example for other nations to follow. But Chirac's
foreign policy during his 12 year tenure has left this
reputation in doubt. Chirac's
friendships with African dictators have been criticized heavily
both by Sarkozy and socialist
presidential candidate, Segolene Royal. The bulk of France's
foreign aid to Africa has ended up in the hands of
corruptautocrats, rather than helping alleviate the poverty of
ordinary African citizens.
Chirac's coddling
of corrupt dictators was most apparent during the 2003
Franco-African summit, when he welcomed Robert Mugabe of
Zimbabwe with open arms, despite an EU travel ban on Zimbabwean
officials for atrocious human rights violations and rigged
elections.
Human rights
advocates were disappointed again in 2005, when Chirac pushed
for an end to the EU arms embargo against
China
imposed in 1989 after the Tiananmen Square massacre. Chirac's
proposal evoked strong opposition from other EU states, the US,
Japan, and human rights groups. His stance was particularly
perplexing as China had neither renounced the use of force
against
Taiwan,
nor improved its human rights situation.
In addition, Chirac
went out of his way to chastise democratic Taiwan for holding a
referendum initiated by its elected government. The referendum,
which was seen as key to consolidating democracy on Taiwan, was
labeled a "grave error" by Chirac during a state visit to Paris
by Chinese President Hu Jintao in 2004. Such willingness to
align himself with these dubious dictatorships has damaged much
of France's credibility.
Sarkozy, however,
has an excellent opportunity to transform France's foreign
policy. France is supportive of democratic development on the
international stage, positioning itself as a steadfast advocate
for the liberty and human rights of all peoples. He can start
by redirecting foreign aid to African nations that do not suffer
from rampant corruption and whose governments are elected by
democratic mechanisms. He can also push concrete measures at
the UN to help end the genocide in the
Darfur region.
Sarkozy can also
use France's influence to press China to renounce the use of
force against
Taiwan,
to respect Tibetan autonomy, and to stop the ruthless
persecution of political dissidents. He should push the EU to
support Taiwan's inclusion to the World Health Organization, so
that the island's 23 million citizens are involved in the
international fight against epidemic spread and disease
prevention.
In his acceptance
speech, Sarkozy declared, "I want to launch an appeal to all
those in the world who believe in the values of tolerance,
freedom, democracy, humanism. To all those who are persecuted
by tyranny and dictatorship, I want to say that the pride and
the duty of France will be to be on their side." Such words are
welcome in a world in need of strong human rights leadership.
The entire world will be watching to see whether Sarkozy remains
true to his promise.
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