Natopolitanism: The Atlantic Alliance since the Cold War

by Grey Anderson

In 1963 the average left-wing French citizen hoped for a rosy future; his right-wing counterpart had reason to believe that France was key to the European project, and had cultural institutions, and nuclear bombs, too.3 In 2013 the average French citizen believes in nothing and no one, is frightened of the neighbors, is anxious about the future and regards the past with shame. Despite the gloom, this average person has a surprising resilience. Maintaining a capacity for reflection and foresight is vital. When the defense minister talks about “the fight against international terrorism”—an absurd expression that no longer has currency even in the US—to explain the intervention in Mali, we must accept that this is an advanced, and late, case of ideological takeover. When France categorizes Salafists, whom it hunts down in Mali, courts in Saudi Arabia and helps in Syria, within the catchall of “terrorism,” it is speaking the American language, and may well end up gibbering.