France
France as a convening power in the Pacific: The Nouméa SPDMM
On 4 December, France hosts the South Pacific Defence Ministers Meeting (SPDMM) in Nouméa, New Caledonia. The SPDMM marks its tenth anniversary this year, however remains…
New Caledonia: Independence leader wins French Senate seat over Macron favourite
France held its national senatorial elections on 24 September 2023, coincidentally the 170th anniversary of France claiming possession of New Caledonia in 1853. Of two…
French fragmentation
An excellent new French film, November, depicts a dedicated group of selfless patriots working effectively together to complete an urgent task of national importance: defeating…
How Australia can leverage France’s Indo-Pacific presence
The last five years have been a rollercoaster for Australia-France relations: a cancelled submarine contract, a major breakdown in bilateral ties, and now a steady recovery…
Uncertainty in New Caledonia
France’s Interior and Overseas Territories Minister Gérald Darmanin visited Noumea from 1 to 4 June to keep pressure on local parties to agree on New Caledonia’s political future,…
Europe’s divisions over China could hamper G-7 unity
While the focus of the G-7 meeting in Hiroshima this week will be on Russia, the gathering leaders will have China on their minds. But could differences in Europe over how best to…
Taiwan: Far from lost in translation, Macron said exactly what he meant
Returning from a trip to Beijing, President Emmanuel Macron gave an interview this week to journalists from Politico and French newspaper Les Echos. His words, especially when…
France tightens the screws in New Caledonia
New Caledonian parties are meeting in Paris this week for talks that France hopes might break a deadlock over the territory’s future. After a disputed independence referendum in…
France-Australia: Salving the wounds of AUKUS
If a week is a long time in politics, 18 months makes for a lifetime in diplomacy. That’s the time now elapsed since the “stab in the back” – words French Foreign Minister Jean…
Marles torpedoes French subs, but is yet to explain nuclear advantage
Of all the places to drop a bombshell about Australia’s quest for new submarines, could Defence Minister Richard Marles have picked a worse one than Paris? The question put to…