Macron auditions for his big promotion by extending French nuclear deterrence to other European states. And opens a can of nuclear worms.
President Macron has spread France's nuclear deterrent to other European states:
The United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden and Denmark have agreed to participate in a new “advanced deterrence” strategy using their conventional forces to enhance the protection of Europe and the overall striking power of France’s Force de Dissuasion (France’s Nuclear deterrence force).
Macron laid out that nuclear-capable Rafale B fighters would be spread out across Europe on temporary deployments as an “archipelago of forces” that would complicate the decision making of any nation wanting to use extreme force against France or its allies. Alongside these deployments, allies will also be invited to take part in French nuclear exercises, in a similar manner to NATO’s Conventional Support to Nuclear Operations programme.
Now France gets to enjoy the fun of extended nuclear deterrence that America has long faced. Other Europeans will wonder if France will trade Paris for any or all other European cities. And France will get to enjoy the growing suspicions in European countries that France simply wants to fight a nuclear war on the soil of countries hosting French nuclear weapons and not on French territory alone--or at all.
I sincerely doubt Macron intends to put Paris in the nuclear crosshairs by extending its nuclear umbrella across Europe. France declared Paris an open city in 1940 rather than risk it. France withdrew from the NATO military command at the height of the Soviet threat, only rejoining after the Cold War was won. We may have a pattern here.
I think this is merely part of Macron's audition to fail upward to the European Union throne.
I'm sure it is just a cruel trick of the photography angle that makes the European Union flag look higher than the French flag.
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NOTE: Picture from the article.
