Australian submarines: Paris and Washington stepping in to renew ties

Posted on Sep 26, 2021 at 4:18 PMUpdated Sep 26, 2021, 4:27 PM

Cross-over in the transatlantic sky. After the UN General Assembly held in New York, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian returned to Paris on Friday evening, and the French Ambassador to the United States, Philippe Etienne, is making the journey reverse to be back at his post in Washington, a week after being recalled to Paris for “consultations” in the case of the Australian submarines.

After the “shock”, Paris hopes that its outraged reaction will have infused over the days in the minds of its partners: among the Europeans first, who have ended up showing their solidarity with France after a period of hesitation – time to convince them that it was not just a broken contract. With the countries of the Indo-Pacific zone, which could wonder about the strategy and the methods of Australia. Also with Australian public opinion: the Franco-Australian contract gives way to eighteen months of studies which could ultimately result, for lack of alternative, in a pure alignment with Washington. Finally with the American ally.

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