The American unpredictability “has an impact on our security, it has an impact on our interests,” according to General Mandon.
The war triggered in Iran by the United States further underscores the unpredictability of Washington, lamented the French chief of the interarmy staff, General Fabien Mandon, on Tuesday, March 24th, who however emphasizes that the country “remains an ally.”
“The relationship remains very strong, but unfortunately, after a disengagement from Afghanistan in which there was no consultation (…), they have decided to intervene in the Near and Middle East without notifying us,” said the high-ranking official at the opening of the Paris Forum for Strategy and Defense (PDSF).
“We acted immediately, surprised by an American ally who remains an ally, but who is less and less visible and who
does not bother to inform us when deciding to engage in military operations
,” he regretted, stating that “it has an impact on our security, it has an impact on our interests.”
“Coordination is necessary”
The conflict initiated on February 28th by Israeli and American strikes against Iran has spread in the region through retaliatory strikes from Tehran using drones and missiles.
France’s interests in the region have been engaged, added the Minister Delegate to the Armed Forces, Alice Rufo. “Due to the consequences of the situation, we have had losses to mourn and wounded to care for,” she recalled, referring to French military personnel deployed in Iranian Kurdistan who were victims of a drone strike.
“In terms of protecting our nationals, protecting our forces and partners in the region,
coordination is necessary, that’s how it works in an alliance
like NATO,” she added.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier delivered an even more severe analysis on Tuesday, stating that trust between the United States and its Western allies is “lost,” even during Donald Trump’s presidency.
“The rupture is too deep, and
trust in the United States’ great power policy is lost
, not only among their allies, but also, as I see it, on a global scale,” he declared in a speech in Berlin on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
End of the “benevolent hegemon”
“There will be no return to the situation before January 20, 2025”
, the start of Donald Trump’s second term in the White House, he judged, discussing the future of transatlantic relations. “Even a future American administration will no longer be able to simply resume the role of the benevolent hegemon, guarantor of a liberal international order,” continued the former Social Democratic Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Added to this loss of trust is the incomprehension regarding the start of the war against Iran, which, according to him, is
“contrary to international law.”
“This war constitutes (…) a serious political error,” insisted the diplomat, referring to a conflict “avoidable, unnecessary.”
The German president mainly holds a ceremonial role and has moral influence. His criticisms go further than those of the government, but are in the same vein. Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for an end to the war against Iran on Friday, noting that it “benefits no one and harms economically a lot.”
