| Here, John Keiger examines the subtle forces that have shaped France's international relations, from material aspects such as geography, demography, and economics, to more abstract features of France's national identity such as the notion of state and the impulse to spread French culture. The
first study of its kind in English, the book is divided into thematic chapters that include discussions of how foreign policy is formulated and executed, the nature of strategy and defence, France's allies and adversaries, cultural diplomacy, and an assessment of French espionage. A final chapter
examines France's position in the post-Cold War era, its adjustment to the new international system, and the extent to which old mentalities persist or have been resurrected.
About the Author
John Keiger is a graduate of the Institut d'Etudes Politiques, University of Aix-Marseille, France and holds a PhD in history from the University of Cambridge. He has written a number of books and articles on France and international history including France and the Origins of the First World War (Macmillian, 1893), a biography of Raymond Poincare (Cambridge University Press, 1997) and was editor of 19 volumes of Europe 1848-1914 in British Documents on Foreign Affairs: Reports and Papers from the Foreign Office Confidential Print (University Publications of America, 1989). He has been a Visiting Professor in France, has done a number of broadcasts for the BBC and has given evidence to the House of Commons Select Committee on french Foreign policy and defence. |
