France-Africa Policy and the Formation of the Union for the Mediterranean: Implications for a United Africa

Abstract

In May 2007, President Nicolas Sarkozy promised to reconsider every possible issue relating to French-Africa relation. France's policing role on the continent has been
under increasing criticism from both African countries and the French public opinion.
Many in France, including President Sarkozy argued that France's involvement on the
continent should be meant to keep a balance between the cost and the risk. However, the
focus of this article is to appraise this new paradigm shift in France-Africa policy and
to show how it has informed the formation of the Union for the Mediterranean. The
article will also critically examine how such policy shift could impact on the AU search
for a political union for the continent.

Africa Insight Vol. 38 (2) 2008: pp. 91-100