> I think implicitly everybody has always relied on France having 'our' back
Another huge asset that comes with France is a permanent seat at the UN Security Council.
> No nuclear codes owned by the US for the French.
Indeed. But the French arsenal is still tiny. I wonder if Putin would test it by annexing an “insignificant” part of a non-NATO EU member (so that’s pretty much a bit of forest in Finland). A somewhat blood-less operation like Crimea would be a real conundrum. Or would have been, 2 weeks ago: that there is a bit more resolve now.
If anything, the current war demonstrates the importance of sticking together.
Another huge asset that comes with France is a permanent seat at the UN Security Council.
> No nuclear codes owned by the US for the French.
Indeed. But the French arsenal is still tiny. I wonder if Putin would test it by annexing an “insignificant” part of a non-NATO EU member (so that’s pretty much a bit of forest in Finland). A somewhat blood-less operation like Crimea would be a real conundrum. Or would have been, 2 weeks ago: that there is a bit more resolve now.
If anything, the current war demonstrates the importance of sticking together.