France

Military Strategy
commentary
Thinking in (Napoleonic) Times: Historical Warnings for an Era of Great-Power Competition
Alexandra T. Evans
Dec 18, 2020
War on the Rocks
Over the last several years, great-power competition has become a major topic of discussion, prompting policymakers, scholars, and pundits alike to look to the past for lessons to explain the emerging contest between the United States and China. Considering how a variety of historical powers have faced rising challengers can aid our understanding of the challenges ahead.
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Military Strategy
commentary
Grand Strategy Is Total: French Gen. Andre Beaufré on the Nuclear Age
Michael Shurkin
Oct 8, 2020
War on the Rocks
Gen. André Beaufre, the father of contemporary French strategic thought, epitomizes better than anyone the traits that make modern French military theory unusually rich. He is also a key for accessing a rich and distinctly different way of thinking about war with direct applications for today, whether one is pondering Afghanistan or how to deal with China.
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Military Doctrine
commentary
Modern War for Romantics: Ferdinand Foch and the Principles of War
Michael Shurkin
Jul 8, 2020
War on the Rocks
Recent American military history suggests civilian and military leaders could benefit from studying French military strategy. For those who wish to understand French military thinking, the place to start is with Marshal Ferdinand Foch.
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Mali
commentary
Why the UK May Be Sending Troops to Mali
Michael Shurkin
Mar 16, 2020
Wavell Room
The UK government's decision to deploy an additional 250 soldiers to join the United Nations mission in Mali might be in Britain's security interests. Such deployments display the UK's commitment to international security and may well form a critical part of its post-BREXIT diplomacy.
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West Africa
commentary
Abandoning West Africa Carries Risks for U.S.
Michael Shurkin
Jan 3, 2020
The Hill
News that the U.S. Department of Defense is contemplating a major drawdown in West Africa comes as the region is in crisis. For Americans, the Sahel crisis raises a fundamental question: Beyond basic humanitarian concern, if the Sahel falls apart, why should Americans care?
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Mali
commentary
Mali Violence Shows Limits of Intervention
Michael Shurkin
Nov 22, 2019
RealClearDefense
Each year brings more violence to Mali and its neighbors. Mali and Burkina Faso are rapidly destabilizing; the situation in Niger is less dire, but that is hardly a commendation. Why is the violence in Mali getting worse given the significant efforts by the international community to stem it?
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Military Doctrine
commentary
The Insurgent Counter-Insurgent: The French Army's Hero and Some Truths About Modern Warfare
Michael Shurkin
Jul 25, 2019
War on the Rocks
When asked about their heroes, one name comes up with French Army officers more than any other: Hélie Denoix de Saint Marc. Saint Marc lived an extraordinary life, to be sure. But his story also contains important lessons about modern warfare and counter-insurgency warfare in particular, the work of training local forces, and the imperative of aligning military means with realistic political objectives.
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Border and Port Security
commentary
Is Macron Set to 'Take Back Control' of UK-France Border After Brexit?
James Black, Sarah Grand-Clement
Jan 17, 2018
Prospect Magazine
As French President Emmanuel Macron arrives in London for the 35th UK-France Summit, there is growing French discomfort with arrangements at the UK-France border. The UK's decision to leave the European Union has added new urgency to this already fraught debate.
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Military Doctrine
commentary
Meet France's War Philosophers
Michael Shurkin
Jan 5, 2018
War on the Rocks
Gen. Vincent Desportes and Col. Michel Goya draw on careers focused on the study and practice of war and share a grimmer and more Hobbesian vision than what one normally meets in French public debates. This makes them appealing guides to the dark world in which the French now find themselves.
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Counterinsurgency
commentary
Mali Is France's Afghanistan, but with a Difference
Stephanie Pezard @StephaniePezard, Michael Shurkin
Dec 1, 2017
War on the Rocks
At first glance the comparison between the French military operations in Mali and America’s involvement in Afghanistan is compelling, and in some important ways, accurate. It also presents some fundamental differences that give reason for optimism in France.
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Counterterrorism
commentary
What Is the Sahel G5 Force and Why Should the U.S. Support It?
Michael Shurkin
Nov 6, 2017
The Hill
The French Joint Force G-5 Sahel plan offers the possibility of strengthening the Sahel nations' efforts to combat terrorism. Supporting the French initiative is a worthy undertaking, provided, of course, that everyone understands what it is and is not.
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Military Doctrine
commentary
What a 1963 Novel Tells Us About the French Army, Mission Command, and the Romance of the Indochina War
Michael Shurkin
Sep 20, 2017
War on the Rocks
The novel La 317e Section (The 317th Platoon) informs and reflects an operating style rooted in the French Army's collective memory of the colonial wars. Colonial operations tended to be low-budget, small-footprint missions that placed junior officers in positions of considerable authority and responsibility. Service promised quick glory but was also more dangerous.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
The U.S.-France Dustup Over Counterterrorism in the Sahel
Michael Shurkin
Jun 23, 2017
U.S. News & World Report
It's time for Paris and Washington to get together with the G5 nations of the Sahel and draft a strategy for achieving shared objectives. The French cannot do it alone or even with the support of the G5 nations. The U.S. would be penny wise but pound foolish to stay aloof or even just uphold the status quo.
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France
commentary
Macron's Fractious France
Christopher S. Chivvis
May 12, 2017
U.S. News & World Report
Right-wing nationalism is rising in Europe, but Emmanuel Macron's election in France shows that support remains for liberal-democracy and the European Union. But the struggle over France's future is far from over and Macron will need to tackle his country's economic problems head-on.
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Mali
commentary
What Mali Really Needs
Michael Shurkin
Jan 23, 2017
U.S. News & World Report
Mali needs more international engagement, as well as serious pressure on the Malian state to strengthen its hold on the country. The key will be helping beyond just security force assistance and conventional economic development aid; Mali needs help governing.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
Emergencies: France, Mali, and Turkey Are Playing with Fire
Michael Shurkin
Aug 15, 2016
Breaking Defense
The leaders of France, Mali, and Turkey have declared formal states of emergency. France's Hollande and Mali's Keïta, while responding to real threats, are risking democracy. Erdogan appears to be targeting democracy and using Turkey's recent failed coup as a pretext.
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France

Thinking in (Napoleonic) Times: Historical Warnings for an Era of Great-Power Competition

Grand Strategy Is Total: French Gen. Andre Beaufré on the Nuclear Age

Modern War for Romantics: Ferdinand Foch and the Principles of War

Why the UK May Be Sending Troops to Mali

Abandoning West Africa Carries Risks for U.S.

Mali Violence Shows Limits of Intervention

The Insurgent Counter-Insurgent: The French Army's Hero and Some Truths About Modern Warfare

Is Macron Set to 'Take Back Control' of UK-France Border After Brexit?

Meet France's War Philosophers

Mali Is France's Afghanistan, but with a Difference

What Is the Sahel G5 Force and Why Should the U.S. Support It?

What a 1963 Novel Tells Us About the French Army, Mission Command, and the Romance of the Indochina War

The U.S.-France Dustup Over Counterterrorism in the Sahel

Macron's Fractious France

What Mali Really Needs

Emergencies: France, Mali, and Turkey Are Playing with Fire

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