// BEGIN editorial data var i = 0; var Franceetvous = new Array(); Franceetvous.ID = "Franceetvous"; Franceetvous.sPubDate = "4/30/2004 7:54:23 PM GMT"; Franceetvous.mainsectionID = "" Franceetvous.navsectionID = "INT" Franceetvous.appFmt = 2; Franceetvous.itemsPerPage = 1; Franceetvous.appWidth = 460; Franceetvous.appHeader = "FACT FILE|France’s claim to world-power status"; Franceetvous.appFooter = "Source: MSNBC research"; Franceetvous.appNavStyle = 3; Franceetvous.appLayout = 3; Franceetvous.copyMargin = 9; Franceetvous[i++] = new Array("","","A French show of strength in Paris on Bastille Day, 2003.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/040129/040129_default_franceapp.htease.jpg","","French influence?", "", "", "", "", "right", "Michel Euler", "AP", "110", "100", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); Franceetvous[i-1].body = "Since the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815, France has looked beyond Europe in pursuit of the “grandeur” so integral to its national self-image. France today is no superpower, and certainly not a “hyperpower,” the phrase a former French foreign minister coined to describe the United States. But French influence in some spheres is significant. Here’s a look at the French claim to great power status:"; Franceetvous[i++] = new Array("","U.N. Security Council","French Ambassador to the United Nations Jean-Marc de La Sabliere, left, speaks with his German counterpart, Gunter Pleuger, at the U.N. in 2003. ","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/040129/040129_unsecuritycouncil_app.htease.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Timothy A. Clary", "AFP - Getty Images", "92", "148", "", "", "", "", ""); Franceetvous[i-1].body = "Nothing has cemented French influence in the world like the decision made by the victorious World War II powers in 1945 to include France as one of the five permanent, veto-wielding members of the Security Council. Until the end of the Cold War, France rarely found itself in disagreement with Britain or the U.S. on major issues. But the U.N. veto today takes on larger significant as France struggles to decide whether it wants to lead the European Union in defiance of American power or in partnership with it.
  • U.N. Security Council"; Franceetvous[i++] = new Array("","European Union","French President Jacques Chirac greets German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder during a visit to France in December 2003. ","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/040129/040129_eu_app.htease.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Charles Platiau", "Reuters", "110", "102", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); Franceetvous[i-1].body = "France ranks second only to Germany in terms of EU economic power and population. In recent years, a Franco-German axis has emerged that has dominated internal EU decision making and provided the momentum for further integration. This axis took on a new blush when the two led much of the EU in defiance of the U.S. position on Iraq in 2002-2003. Yet this also aggravated other EU members, particularly the new democracies of Eastern Europe whose admission into the EU in May 2004 may diminish France’s relative weight.
  • European Union"; Franceetvous[i++] = new Array("","Economic clout","Peugeot Managing Director Saint Geours smiles as he stands next to his concept car \"Elixir\" during the 2003 Tokyo Motor Show. ","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/040129/040129_econclout_app.htease.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Eriko Sugita", "Reuters", "110", "132", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); Franceetvous[i-1].body = "France’s GDP, the value of all goods and services it produces, ranks a respectable sixth in the world at $1.54 trillion. French multinationals like Peugeot, Chanel, Total and France Telecom compete on equal terms with any in the world. French investment abroad was third in the world, behind only the U.S. and Japan. Additionally, it reaps huge advantages from its dominance in many categories of the tariff free EU zone.
  • French economic power"; Franceetvous[i++] = new Array("","Expeditionary forces","An aerial view of French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle sets off from Toulon, France, in 2001.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/040129/040129_forces_app.htease.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "French Navy", "AP", "92", "148", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); Franceetvous[i-1].body = "France spends more on defense than any other European nation except Russia. While its $50 billion annual budget would barely sustain the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, France possesses one of only two European militaries capable of rapid interventions abroad. France operates Europe’s only genuine large deck aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, and produces warplanes comparable to the best U.S. and Russian variants (the latest is the Mirage 2000-5). France’s Foreign Legion and elite forces are among the world’s best light infantry.
  • The French defense ministry
  • France’s carrier, the Charles de Gaulle"; Franceetvous[i++] = new Array("","Overseas bases","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Interactives/News/International/Mideast/French_bases.gif","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "140", "251", "", "", "", "", ""); Franceetvous[i-1].body = "France maintains a large network of overseas bases and through these outposts and liberal deployments by the famed Foreign Legion it continues to exert influence abroad, particularly in Africa. France takes the leading role in European Space Agency, which launches its rockets from French Guiana, a French colony on South America’s Caribbean coast.
  • The European Space Agency
    "; Franceetvous[i++] = new Array("","Francophone nations","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Interactives/News/International/Mideast/Francophones.gif","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "", "140", "251", "", "", "", "", ""); Franceetvous[i-1].body = "The “Francophonie” is a French-led group of 48 nations, including current and former French colonies. In much the way Britain’s Commonwealth maintains London’s influence in places like India and Kenya, France often uses summits of the Francophonie to rally resistance to the institutionalization of English as the world’s common language. In 2003, France convinced Francophonie members Cameroon and Guinea not to support the U.S. in the United Nations debate over Iraq, demonstrating the mother country’s lingering influence.
  • The \"Francophonie\"
  • The Commonwealth"; Franceetvous[i++] = new Array("","Oil and gas","Motorists line up at a Nice gas station in the French Riviera, Sept. 5, 2000.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/040129/040129_oil_app.htease.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Lionel Cironneau", "AP", "110", "119", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); Franceetvous[i-1].body = "Total SA, with operations in more than 100 nations, is one of the world’s largest oil companies. After a recent acquisition binge, the French company went from one of a series of mid-level players to a major force in the energy industry. As of 2003, it had reserves of 11.2 billion barrels of oil, not including a potentially huge stake in Iraq awarded by Saddam Hussein’s government. That status of the Iraq claim, however, is in limbo with Saddam’s ouster. The French government is pushing hard for recognition of this claim.
  • Total"; Franceetvous[i++] = new Array("","Cultural influence","A Pablo Picasso painting at Museum of Modern Art's \"Matisse Picasso\" exhibition. The exhibit played to huge crowds in London and Paris.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/040129/040129_culture_app.htease.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Teru Iwasaki", "AP", "98", "148", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); Franceetvous[i-1].body = "Italy might take umbrage, and America’s “cultural imperialism” is a favorite complaint in Paris and beyond, but few other nations would argue against ceding France the position of world’s leader in setting the tone for the world’s sense of taste and style. From fashion and fragrance to art, literary movements and philosophy, the French \"punch above their weight class\" much the way the British do when it comes to military affairs. This, in part, reflects the importance of the French language, spoken on every continent. But it is also a reflection of the enormous financial and emotional value French governments and citizens place in the national culture. This also explains, in part, the disturbing reaction in France to new, immigrant cultures that do not fit the classic mold.
  • Ministry of Culture"; // END editorial data