Two long-time allies of France have stabbed them in the back, those are the words of the foreign minister of French. France for the first time ever has recalled its ambassadors from the US and Australia for consultations. This decision was caused by the announcement made on September 15th by the United States and Australia. Austalia canceled the Attack class submarine program binding Australia and France since 2016. They announced a new deal between the US and Australia to start studies on possible future cooperation on nuclear submarines. According to the French government, it is unacceptable behavior between partners and allies. The reason behind this showdown is the trilateral security partnership known as ORCAS. Its goal is the partnership of the US, Australia, and the UK in the intelligence, defense, and technology industries. One of the goals of this partnership, it to equip Austalia with nuclear-powered submarines. This partnership can lead to unpredictable circumstances in the world arena diplomacy.
5 comments:
In my opinion, the United States should start seriously considering repairing the shaky relationships with its European allies. After President Trump's America turning its back on multiple European projects, European leaders were already considering diminishing their security and economic alliance with the United States. Recent America's withdrawal from Afghanistan even worsened the situation. During recent debates in Parliament and in unattributed briefings, British ministers and officials have used language to describe the withdrawal as "shameful", "dishonorable" and "catastrophic". And now, the relationship between France and the US is going through a rough patch.
In an ideal world, the United States would be on good terms with all countries. But, this is not an ideal world tough decisions have to be made such as the U.S partnering with Australia and U.K. Although the U.S may have damaged its relationship with a longtime ally(France) it further improved its relationship with existing allies(Australia, U.K). The U.S partnering with Australia providing them with nuclear-powered submarines will also help limit the threat of China. This partnership not only benefits the U.S national security but helps protect Australia and U.K as well. France is upset and they showed that by recalling their ambassadors, but they are not the first country to recall their ambassadors. It is best for the U.S to be on good terms with other countries, recalling ambassadors does not mean our diplomatic relationship is broken, it is just a little bent.
In the grand scheme of things, I think this is only a minor setback. Sure, right now tensions are running high between France and both the United States and Australia. France is definitely upset because this would have been a large contract for the country. The reality is that this is a market just like everything else and the United States was offering to work with Australia on developing nuclear submarines. Both the United States and Australia are acting in their best interest. At the end of the day, France is upset that the US was able to offer a better deal to Australia. From the United States' point of view, we are acting in the best interest of our country, and if that mildly upset another country a little bit that is manageable so long that the relationship is still there. I believe in this case that this is just a minor setback and as you can see in the news the ambassador will return shortly back to the United States.
The goal for Australia to equip itself with a stronger military is to deter China from becoming too aggressive and preventing them from threatening Australia's national interests. At the end of the day, all of the countries involved have the same goals and it should be imperative for them to make amends for this episode if they are to face China and its threatening presence in a critical region of the world.
As the United States tries to move into a new post-Trump era, the legacies that Trump left with our biggest allies are troublesome. France is no exception to that rule. Although I don't know a lot about submarines or the deal the French had with Australia, I do think that this strain on French-American relations could have been avoidable. I hope that the State Department is able to patch up relations with France as Europe is trending towards an anti-American and alt-right sentiment. Recalling ambassadors was meant to send a message, and I hope the American diplomats are able to smooth things over.
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