So there is a lot of bad blood about President Macron's comments on #China and #NATO. Let me clarify a few things. France is not opposed to NATO assessing the security implications of China's rise but has some legitimate concerns. A 🧵 👇
First, 🇫🇷 fully shares the assessment made in #NATO communiqué about the security challenges posed by 🇨🇳. Every word of the declaration is consistent with 🇫🇷 Strategic Update. 🇫🇷 is not trying to water down the threats coming from 🇨🇳 quite the contrary.

Second, 🇫🇷 is mindful that NATO's approach toward China is not purely confrontational toward 🇨🇳 and also includes a call for dialogue with Beijing. This balance is often overlooked but is actually in #NATO communiqué (see 👇) and is consistent with 🇪🇺 but also 🇺🇸 approaches.
Third, 🇫🇷 is skeptical about NATO scattering its efforts and expanding its activities to Asia. On this, Macron's comments are in lines with SecGen Stoltenberg's position: “NATO is, and will, remain, a regional alliance for Europe and North America”.

nato.int/cps/en/natohq/…
Fourth, when it comes to NATO addressing China's growing influence in Europe, 🇫🇷 outlines that the challenges posed by China are not purely military and that NATO cannot be the unique answer. The EU is better positioned and tooled to tackle these eco/tech challenges.
President Macron already made a similar comment in London in 2019:

"While I believe that it is fundamental that we have a strategic reflection on the rise of 🇨🇳 military power, its consequences for the stability of the North Atlantic region ...

elysee.fr/emmanuel-macro…
... as well as on tech issues, including 5G, in terms of interoperability, I also do not believe that 🇨🇳 can become the designated object of our collective defense. So there are strategic issues that we need to address but not simply in military terms."
Fifth, it is misleading to say that France is not happy about NATO's *focus* on China as 🇨🇳 is only mentioned 10 times in the communiqué (against 63 for Russia). The declaration is pretty clear about what the priorities of NATO are (collective defense, fight against terrorism).
In a nutshell, France's position on NATO and China cannot be seen in an either/or way. As often, it is a question of nuances. On this topic, see also my recent piece for @CSIS. [End]

csis.org/analysis/natos…

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More from @morcos_pierre

14 Jun
[Thread] My take on the communiqué of the #NATO summit in Brussels. Brace yourself for a long 🧵 on the main takeaways from this 79-paragraph long declaration 👇

nato.int/cps/en/natohq/…
1/ Values: Compared to the 2018 communiqué, today's declaration has a new para on transatlantic values which are described as "the bedrock of [NATO's] unity, solidarity, and cohesion". Allies also commit to consult "when [their] fundamental values and principles are at risk".
This para is a first step in the right declaration, even though more could still be done (see my piece bellow). The adoption of a new strategic concept will offer a new opportunity to demonstrate allies' genuine commitment to transatlantic values.

warontherocks.com/2021/06/nato-s…
Read 23 tweets
10 May
[Thread] 🇪🇺 Member States adopted today conclusions on security and defense, one year after the last ones (June 2020). A 🧵 on this 20-page long document which gives us an interesting glimpse of the upcoming 'Strategic Compass' 👇

consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press…
1/ The ambition: Instead of using the sometimes controversial terms of "strategic autonomy" or "European sovereignty", the document simply underlines Europe's ambition to "take more responsibility for its security" and "act autonomously" to become a "global security provider".
2/ The Strategic Compass: The conclusions confirms that the 'Strategic Compass' will define concrete policy orientations for the next 5 to 10 years in four areas : crisis management, resilience, capability development and partnerships.
Read 18 tweets
1 Dec 20
[Thread] The report of the experts group appointed by @jensstoltenberg to think on the future of NATO has just been released. Brace yourself because the report is 67-page long and has 138 recommendations. My initial thoughts 👇

nato.int/cps/en/natohq/…
1/ The starting point: Despite being one of the most successful military alliances in history, NATO has been confronted in recent years to growing internal divisions. These tensions have been increasingly difficult to manage amid a rapidly deteriorating security environment.
These flaws were bluntly highlighted by Pres. Macron in his itw with @TheEconomist in which he notably denounced the lack of political cohesion within the Alliance.

economist.com/europe/2019/11…
Read 28 tweets
13 Sep 20
[#BookoftheWeek] Just finished “Shields of the Republic” of @MiraRappHooper, a compelling and important essay on the value of America’s system of alliances in Europe and Asia but also on the need to adapt them to the new realities of our strategic environment.
1/ After having avoided “entangling alliances” during the 19th century, US calculus changed after WWII (“Our geographical security is now gone” - President Truman) leading to the creation of a vast network of defensive security guarantees.
This system of alliances was based on a new kind of strategy. Rather than aiming at wining specific wars, these alliances were “intended to keep conflict from breaking out in the first place” by maintaining the peacetime balance of power in Europe and Asia.
Read 12 tweets
19 Mar 20
#LectureConfinement 1/ Nouvelle et passionnante lecture avec l’essai de @benjaminhaddad « Le paradis perdu », publié en 2019 chez @EditionsGrasset. Un essai mêlant histoire, sociologie et science politique au service d’une thèse implacable :
la Présidence Trump n’est pas un accident de parcours dans l’histoire américaine, une intempérie éphémère de 4 (voire 8) ans, mais bien le reflet d’une mutation profonde des 🇺🇸 à laquelle le reste du monde devra bien s’adapter.
2/ Fort de sa longue expérience aux Etats-Unis (en particulier au sein du think-tank @HudsonInstitute), @benjaminhaddad dresse le portrait d’une Amérique profondément traumatisée par le fiasco irakien, une Amérique aux plaies sociales et économiques considérables ...
Read 20 tweets

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