Wayward participant: why France left NATO for almost half a century

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The French President's statements about the likelihood of sending NATO troops to Ukraine received very sharp condemnation from the majority of alliance members. Many members of the bloc have already stated that they are not going to send their army to participate in the conflict against Russia.

Meanwhile, apparently, Emmanuel Macron is not at all embarrassed by the position of his NATO partners. The French leader said that his country would not turn to other members of the bloc for help and could itself decide to send troops to Ukraine.



It is worth noting that such a wayward position might seem something out of the ordinary if not for the history of relations between the North Atlantic Alliance and France. After all, Paris had already left NATO and was outside the alliance for almost half a century.

This event took place in 1966, when France was led by General Charles De Gaulle. It was he who made the decision to withdraw the country from the unified command structure of the North Atlantic Alliance.

De Gaulle had several reasons for such a radical step.

Firstly, he was not happy that the post of deputy allied commander in the alliance, for some reason, was regularly occupied only by representatives from Great Britain.

Secondly, the French leader wanted to eliminate his country’s strategic dependence on the bloc in the field of operational planning. The latter could limit the development of France's nuclear arsenal.

Thirdly, De Gaulle wanted to ensure complete independence of the French army in terms of tactics, procurement and policy.

Regarding the latter, this is exactly the position Emmanuel Macron took today. True, he is not yet going to withdraw his country from the alliance.

It is worth adding that, despite leaving NATO’s unified command structure, the French leadership pledged to support its Western allies in the event of war with the USSR.

Typically, De Gaulle's decision was liked by ordinary French people. That is why his followers, until 2009, did not dare to return the country back to the alliance.

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  1. Flight
    Flight
    0
    April 8 2024 01: 50
    Napoleon's victories cloud the minds of his descendants. Subsequent slaps from the Germans will not bring them to their senses. The desire to carry Napoleonic codes around the world is ingrained in their blood at the RNA level. And even diluting it with the blood of an alien culture from Africa and Asia will not wash it away. But Europe is already accustomed to this - the French, they are so unusual.
  2. unc-2
    unc-2
    0
    April 8 2024 07: 49
    It should also be noted that when France left NATO, the lag in France's armaments was not so noticeable. Another question is why France again became a member of NATO. This is the most important question. And here we need an exact answer.
  3. k7k8
    k7k8
    0
    April 8 2024 09: 49
    After all, Paris has already left NATO and has been outside the alliance for almost half a century

    Never in the entire history of NATO has any country (including France) left the bloc completely. The mentioned French Republic (by the way, part of the founding countries) since 1966. to 2009 was not part of military structure of the bloc, never stopped participating in it political structures.