Prodigal Son or Trojan Horse

What's in it for France?

Bibliographic Data

ID23164379
AuthorsJolyon Howorth (0009-0003-2229-0184, Yale University, corresponding author)
Year2010
Volume19
Issue1
Pages11-28
Publication date2010-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueEuropean Security (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0966-2839 • E-ISSN: 1746-1545
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09662839.2010.502891
OpenAlexW2024661727
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited17

Debate in France about the return to NATO's integrated command structure revolved largely around whether or not Sarkozy had broken with the sacrosanct Gaullist principles of ‘non-alignment’. In reality, the decision was taken for quite different reasons. Since the end of the cold war, France has found itself heavily involved with NATO in a range of overseas missions. Militarily, to remain outside the command structure had become a major liability. The move, militarily, approximated to the return of the Prodigal Son. At the political level, the ongoing process of NATO's quest for a ‘new strategic concept’ meant that France needed to be fully present in the internal debates. Here, the move is closer to that of the Trojan Horse. There is no break with the Gaullist tradition.

Cold war · Computer security · Liability · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Trojan horse · Computer Science · Defense, Military, and Policy Studies · International Relations and Foreign Policy · Law · Military History and Strategy

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