French Defence Policy Since the End of the Cold War

Over the past thirty years, French defence policy has undergone significant changes as a result of a number of contextual developments. These include changes in the international distribution of power, a new understanding of the notion of international security, economic downturns and developments in European integration. Yet, despite these changes, the aim of the French grand strategy and its main principles have remained remarkably stable over time.

Looking at developments over the last three decades, the thematic chapters cover French defence institutions and civil-military relations, the transformation of the armed forces, nuclear deterrence, the defence industry, military intervention and alliances.

The book examines the mechanisms that influence policy change and military transformation in democracies, the importance of status-seeking in international relations, the processes of strategy-making by a middle power, and the dilemmas and challenges of security cooperation. In doing so, the book raises a number of questions related to how states adjust (or fail to adjust) their security policies in a transformed international system. This book makes French-language sources available to non-French-speaking readers and contributes to a better understanding of a country that is at the heart of Europe's external action.