France's Transatlantic politics under Nicholas Sarkozy

With the rise of Nicholas Sarkozy to power, in an evident spin, France’s foreign policy became American in essence. From the very first year of his presidency Sarkozy adopted a parallel policy to the U.S. Atlanticism is considered an important and inevitable leverage in Sarkozy’s foreign policy and his government marked a high point in foreign policy after de Goulle. This new approach is completely evident in the French transatlantic policies and we can clearly see the changes of France’s policies which are inspired by closeness to the U.S regarding Islamic republic of Iran. Sarkozy’s new approach in foreign policy includes a balanced standpoint of Eurocentrism and Atlantisicm in which the European Union and NATO are considered strategic and operational complementaries. Sarkozy tried to explain the closeness to the U.S in a framework of European policies. Sarkozy is looking for a new definition of the role of France in the international relations. He is trying to achieve more influence and credit in the international scene by leveraging Atlantisicm and closeness to the U.S. Parallel with strengthening transatlantic interactions, Sarkozy has tried to announce the return of his country to the NATO military branch, Achieving the most share of NATO’s command and also dispatching forces to Afghanistan. In this paper, the intensification of the French foreign policy towards Iran in line with France’s policy in getting closer to the U.S is also discussed.