The Poodle on the Red Carpet

Francois Hollande was welcomed at the White House with toasts and a loaded table as if it were a wedding. Not a problem that the cherished guest’s private life is upside down and hundreds of invitations for the official dinner had to be edited at the last moment. Washington extended a hand, ready to pamper its new favorite from Paris even before the red carpet was rolled out. Behind the façade of protocol politeness, goals charged with serious geopolitical and geo-economic interests could be easily distinguished.

The leader of the American nation, Barack Obama, and his French counterpart, Francois Hollande, warmed up the public with a joint article showing their bilateral unconditional love and giving the promise of a renewed alliance. Who would think that the strained Franco-American relationship, marked by a deepening partnership, would become “a model for international cooperation”?*

Hollande is the first French president since Chirac who has been invited to pay a state visit — a noticeable sign of honor. That little pleasure was not offered to his predecessor Sarkozy, even at the time of Sarko l’Americain. Hollande needs the honor right now as he is sunk in problems — among them, a shamefully low approval rating, a worrisomely high unemployment rate, unsatisfactory economic competitiveness, a struggling social system and a dramatic scandal that has put his private life in the spotlight.

The French president is trying to escape the turmoil at home while trying to prove wrong those saying that his country is a fiscal mess. The financial markets are getting ready for a disaster. His program aiming to revive growth prospects, cut down labor costs and advance reforms has been accepted with trust. But the French president wasn’t able to stifle the doubt that other eurozone countries will be ahead of France when it comes to economic growth or handling debt. While Spain and Italy are decreasing their dependence on foreign financing, Victor Hugo’s motherland is getting less and less appealing to investors. The integration of the French Tech Hub — the startup strategy meant to encourage creative economic thinking and focus on overcoming today’s problems while delivering solutions for the future — will need help from across the ocean. At stake is the economic growth of a country burdened with problems.

Immersed in the image of an African gendarme who casts a new bolder look toward the Middle East, Hollande is flexing his muscles on the international scene. That is what has brought the newly formed U.S.-French axis closer. After Paris became the biggest European ally of Israel, second only to the U.S. in global aspect, it was clear the next step would be to demonstrate hostility toward Iran.

The belligerent nature of Monsieur Normal became evident during the expensive military intervention in Mali. The French involvement in the Central African Republic was marked by an iron-fist style that won Washington’s respect. This time, Obama may be able to compensate Hollande for the attack against Syria which never took place. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate confirmed once again that intervention is possible, and Paris would be the number one ally in supporting the campaign.

On the diplomatic scene, Obama’s eyes are also directed toward the future. The talks with Iran are evolving and French expertise on Iran could be extremely beneficial to the U.S. Besides, the U.S. president will visit Brussels for the first time in March to pay a visit to the European Union. After the wiretapping scandals, regarding which a cooperative Hollande announced unilaterally that the trust has been restored, France’s support will be a great advantage.

The spirit of General de Gaulle, who once slammed the door in the face on NATO, cannot find peace. France’s ambition to be a free-willed power, capable of imposing its own policies, apparently no longer necessarily crosses anti-Americanism. Hollande fell in line regarding Morales’ airplane, with or without Snowden on board. Thus, he will see the red carpet rolling out many more times. In the style of Solomon, Obama compared Paris and London to his daughters Sasha and Malia — impossible to choose between them. The French leader does indeed want to be the best friend of the most powerful man in the world. The U.S. president, though, has already picked his favorites: Bo and Sunny. Will Hollande be Obama’s poodle?

*Quote from the article co-penned by Obama and Hollande published in Washington Post and Le Monde