Why is Creative Loafing columnist Andisheh Nouraee writing as if France is only now warming up to us? "With an Obama presidency likely," he writes. "It looks like much of the animosity has passed." Excuse me? I’m not disputing that there’s been some boneheaded shlock regarding France coming from the right in recent years, but the hostilities ended in mid-2007 with the ascension of a French president who understands what’s at stake for the West in today’s geopolitical configuration. That was well before Obama became the Democrats’ candidate of choice and while Bush still had almost two years left in office.
In March 2007, I spent most of an afternoon with Christine Lagarde, France’s minister of trade. She was in town to give a speech at the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Lagarde, an avid supporter of pro-American president Nicolas Sarkozy, spoke of how France was adopting a much more free market system to get out of the way of French entrepreneurs. She also scolded the U.S. for not being globalized adequately (less than a quarter of our business community does business overseas), but lauded our close trade relations.
She said: “In 2006, France exported €26.4 billion worth of goods to America and imported €25.3 billion from the United States. The United States is France's 6th supplier and 6th buyer and its largest customer in Europe. France is America's 10th supplier. Every second, our two countries trade €1,640 or almost $2,000 worth of goods. But this is not all. The United States is the biggest foreign direct investor in France, in 2006 American companies created 9,500 jobs in France. Today, 600,000 French employees are working for American subsidiaries which contribute to 10% of all French exports. Conversely, France is the 4th-largest investor in the United States; 550,000 Americans are employed by 2,600 French companies in the USA.”
She continued: “In Georgia alone, more than 500 French enterprises employ several tens of thousands of people. French companies such as the tyre manufacturer Michelin, construction materials manufacturer Lafarge, and eyeglass-lens maker Essilor contribute to Georgia’s economic development. France is determined to remain an open country and to strengthen trade with all countries in the world, particularly the United States.”
But she didn't just talk about our close trade relations, she also said:"France and the United States share a common destiny. France and the United States share many values that are often promoted together and exported to other countries. France's Declaration of the Rights of 1789 is closely tied to the American Declaration of Independence of 1776. We are bound by such values as an attachment to democracy and confidence in progress. We are heirs to the Age of Enlightenment. Today, France and the United States need to join hands to develop solutions to the challenges of our time in such areas as environmental protection, health, and the battle against counterfeiting. In June 7, 1777, the Marquis de la Fayette wrote the following in a letter to his wife: 'A defender of the freedom I worship, freer than anyone, I have come as a friend to offer my services to this fascinating republic (of the United States) without any personal interest. America's happiness is intimately linked to the happiness of humanity: it will become a worthy and safe asylum for virtue, honesty, tolerance, equality, and peaceful freedom.' May this be true!"
And over, and over and over again she reassured all those present of how much France relies upon and loves the United States. You know why? Sarkozy was about to win the election. Shortly after Lagarde's visit here, I went to Paris and observed the French presidential race coverage. Sarkozy was openly pro-American and he won the presidency quite soundly, and that was a year and a half ago. A mere two weeks ago, Republican presidential candidate John McCain told supporters that the U.S. should emulate France’s pro-nuclear-power approach to energy, adding “France has a pro-American president now, which just goes to show that if you live long enough you’ll see it all.”