End of alliance with the US: France questions its membership in NATO
17 January 08:17
For the first time, a parliamentary initiative to withdraw the country from NATO is on the agenda of the French National Assembly.
This was announced by the initiator of the withdrawal, Clémence Gette, who is vice-president of the National Assembly and a member of the left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI), according to "Komersant Ukrainian", citing her interview with Berliner Zeitung.
According to Gatte, France’s withdrawal from NATO has long been her party’s position. However, the discussion has taken on new relevance due to “the conscious decision of the United States to officially return to an overt imperial policy.”
The politician cites a number of specific examples to support her version:
- threats against other sovereign states, threats of annexation of Greenland;
- sanctions against European officials who insist on regulating the activities of American digital corporations;
- “predatory trade agreements” imposed on the European Union under pressure;
- the demand made at the last NATO summit to spend 5% of GDP on defense — expenditures that primarily benefit the American arms industry and are made at the expense of European independence;
- interference in European elections in favor of the far left.
All this, according to Gette, indicates that the US “is officially abandoning international law and collective security mechanisms, effectively granting the EU the status of a vassal state.
“(It is imperative to recognize this and – ed.) no longer consider the United States as an ally,” says Gette.
She added that in this situation, France’s continued membership in a military alliance led by a country that openly acts outside the framework of international law is neither desirable nor sustainable.
Gette says that such membership exposes France to a much greater risk of strategic adaptation and could drag the country into conflicts that contradict Paris’ interests, principles, and international commitments.
“(Leaving NATO would allow France – ed.) to regain its military and diplomatic independence and once again become a non-aligned state,” the politician explains.
According to her, leaving NATO or renouncing any permanent military alliance does not mean isolation. She believes that, on the contrary, breaking with the “Western camp” and its “arrogant views” in favor of a non-aligned position will strengthen France’s influence and reinforce its efforts to establish peace.
“In strategically important areas such as Francophonie, developing economies, the UN, and the OSCE, France—along with other participants—can promote cooperation in the common interest: responding to the environmental crisis, finding alternatives to neoliberalism, protecting and providing access to the common resources of humanity, and multilateral nuclear disarmament,” the publication writes.
As Gette explains, with an independent voice, France will “speak the language of common human interests” and address the peoples of the world.
Can France leave NATO?
The publication writes that, according to an analysis of the political balance of power in France, such a change of course (withdrawal from NATO) is not entirely unrealistic.
In particular, the center-left alliance, to which LFI belongs, currently has the largest representation in the National Assembly. At the same time, Marine Le Pen’s right-wing National Rally party is also strong and has been critical of NATO for many years.
The US and Europe in different camps
About a week ago, left-wing political forces in France initiated a resolution on a phased withdrawal from NATO, arguing that the Alliance serves the interests of the US, not Europe.
We also wrote that, according to French President Emmanuel Macron, the US is gradually turning away from some of its allies. In light of changes in the global order, he called on the EU to become more strategically independent.
