Opaque Lucidity

"You Can Count On France As A Friend"

I never thought I would type the above words. That line was part of Nicolas Sarkozy's victory speech today after he won the national election for the Presidency of France. Turnout was over 85%, would should make Americans think. Sarkozy is a conservative, even by our standards, which while not a stunning change in French politics, at least means that socialism lost some ground.

Understand that Sarkozy is not in love with US foreign policy. He opposes the war in Iraq and he will have a battle on his hands every time he makes a pro-American remark. Furthermore, I do not believe this election result means that France has become a conservative nation. Part of Sarkozy's charm is perhaps the fact that he faced such an unqualified opponent. Segolene Royal was supposedly an early favorite to win the race, but her Dean-like qualities and divisions in her own party pulled her down. Is there a silent majority in France who love their nationalism? We'll see.

The true test for Sarkozy will be how he responds to Iran. If he joins the US and UK in maintaining a hard line, then he will indeed be a true friend. If he stands with the Russians, whose interests in the area are at odds with our own, then we will see that nothing has changed in Paris. But for today, let us be happy that maybe a glimmer of the France our grandparents knew still survives.