Support for Democracy and Human Rights in France
Abstract
French foreign policy combines support for
democracy and human rights with a strong
Realpolitik dimension. Development assistance
increasingly funds human rights and
governance-related activities, primarily in
France’s former colonies. France is also very
willing to use military intervention to counter
authoritarian regimes and prevent violations
of human rights and democracy, most recently
in Mali and the Central African Republic.
France has provided support for democratic
electoral processes in countries such
as Guinea and Madagascar. It has also been
a firm supporter of the rebels in Syria against
the abuses of President Bashar al-Assad.
However, among repressive regimes
with which France has close historical ties,
the government tends to engage rather than
criticize. For example, France has supported
the undemocratic leadership of Algeria and
Morocco, even going out of its way to repair
strained relations. In addition, France’s contract
to sell Mistral warships to Russia has
been highly controversial given events in
Ukraine and the backing of France’s allies
for strong sanctions against Russia.
Domains
Political science
Origin : Publisher files allowed on an open archive