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Sarkozy Takes Washington

America, Mon Amour!

By Gregor Peter Schmitz in Washington

The Bush administration long seemed to see the French as cynical cowards. But that has changed now that Nicolas Sarkozy, an avowed fan of the United States, is at the helm in France. Washington's policies toward Iran could pivot on Sarkozy's US visit this week.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy hardly has the reputation of being an easy-to-deal-with leader. When a CBS reporter unexpectedly asked him about his separation from his wife Cécilia about a week ago, Sarkozy stormed -- furious and red-faced -- out of the studio, only to be heard yelling at his spokesman, who he called a fool, a child and an idiot for having arranged the interview.

One can only hope the job of presenting Tuesday's press clippings to Sarkozy didn't fall to the same spokesman. Several American newspapers featured light-hearted caricatures representing Sarkozy as a happily barking poodle on Bush's mighty lap. The French president seems to have taken the place of Tony Blair: Cartoonists often used the same imagery to represent the former British prime minister's close friendship with United States President George W. Bush.

Sarkozy must have had an uneasy sense, prior to his departure from Paris, that his 26-hour whirlwind trip to the US capital could provoke just such associations -- and he wanted to avoid them at all costs. "I am a friend of America. Don't torture me for it," he pre-emptively beseeched his skeptical countrymen. Sarkozy didn't tire of emphasizing his deep friendship with America on the first day of his visit to Washington, whether he was meeting with business leaders, awarding the Légion d'honneur medal to US World War II veterans or attending a gala dinner in the White House (where his toast consisted of a solemn promise to win back the hearts of Americans).

On Wednesday, Sarkozy will give a speech before the US Congress, an honor rarely granted to foreign state visitors. Then he will visit Mount Vernon, the historic residence of founding father George Washington, together with Bush in order to evoke the historic roots of the partnership between France and the United States -- including the 250th anniversary of General La Fayette, whose military genius saved the Americans during their War of Independence against the British.

What The Republicans Can Learn From Bush

And Sarkozy's hosts are doing all they can to prevent him from thinking too much about the poodle metaphor by scheduling, in addition to the many symbolic public appearances, ample time for conversation between him and President Bush, for example. "This really seems to be the beginning of a new era in the relationship between the two countries. The length of the working meeting between Bush and Sarkozy suggests that," says Laurie Dundon, who until recently worked closely with former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

Current US Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns takes a similar view. "The mood has really changed in this respect." Large parts of the US administration seem to have developed a genuine fondness for the energetic French president, who makes no bones about his passion for Elvis tunes, iPods, jogging and US management methods. That may be partly because the Republicans hope to learn from the conservative Sarkozy how they could win the next elections. Republican masterminds like Newt Gingrich have been drawing attention for some time to Sarkozy's clever feat, during the French electoral campaign, of successfully distancing himself from his predecessor Jacques Chirac despite the fact that they are both members of the same party. The Republican Party's presidential candidates would love nothing more than to use a similar strategy to ensure that their party is still in the White House when unpopular Bush leaves office.

No French Visitor Since 2001

Even recently, such a harmonious relationship between the US and France would have been unimaginable. Sarkozy's predecessor, Jacques Chirac, made the Bush administration's blood boil with his carefully orchestrated campaign against the war in Iraq -- with French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin flamboyantly stating France's case against the planned war before the United Nations Security Council. And no president of the "grande nation" has seen fit to set foot in Washington since 2001. None of this has helped to make the French any more popular with the Americans, and conservative tabloids like Rupert Murdoch's New York Post ranted about French "cheese-eating surrender monkeys." US hawks successfully proposed renaming French fries "Freedom fries" on the US Congress menu.

Diplomats believe that a tentative rapprochement already began about two years ago, on the level of practical cooperation. But it took a change of government before that rapprochement could take place symbolically and at the top levels of government. "This is a real opportunity," says Ron Asmus, director of the Brussels headquarters of the German Marshall Fund and a former top official in the US State Department. "Sarkozy is the first French president in decades who truly likes America and isn't seeking to demonize our economic system or our foreign policy for his own political gain."

'Who Would Have Thought?'

Sarkozy already began satisfying the United States' expectations months ago. He was so supportive of tough measures being implemented against Iran's nuclear program that Republican presidential candidate John McCain gave an enthusiastic account of France's new policy on Iran at a campaign rally. "The French!" McCain exclaimed. "Who would have thought?"

Much to the Americans' pleasure, Sarkozy spoke out resolutely against Syrian intervention in Lebanon, called for Kosovo's independence and formulated the goal of improving France's relationship with Israel. And French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner's visit to Iraq this summer was noted appreciatively in Washington. Kouchner, who is accompanying Sarkozy on his current visit to Washington, has even hinted that he would not be opposed to a military strike against Iran.

But by sending such signals, Sarkozy is also thinking of his own domestic agenda, says Jeremy Shapiro of the Brookings Institution. "To him, turning towards America is a welcome way of distancing himself from his predecessor Chirac," says Shapiro. But, he adds, more is at stake: "So far, Sarkozy has also presented himself as a strong advocate of US management methods in his government work. It is important to him domestically that the reservations about US methods disappear."

Disputes over Turkey and the Weak Dollar

Of course, not all political differences have vanished. Like Chirac, Sarkozy is open about the fact that he feels the US invasion of Iraq was a grave mistake. French opposition to Turkey's possible admission to the European Union (EU) continues to clash with Washington's vehement advocacy of future membership for Ankara. And the devaluation of the dollar may suit the current US administration in so far as it accords with its budget goals, but export-oriented European countries such as France and Germany are less pleased. Speaking before business leaders in Washington yesterday, Sarkozy explicitly warned that a strong economy like that of the United States should have a strong currency.

But even as an avowed friend of the United States, Sarkozy must constantly monitor whether the newly cordial relationship leads to any tangible concessions on the part of Washington. Otherwise he risks being unable to counter the sometimes vocal accusations, made most recently by foreign policy experts for the opposition Socialist Party on the eve of his trip, that he has become Bush's poodle.

"(German Chancellor) Angela Merkel was very adept at retaining her independence in her relationship with the Americans -- by making critical remarks on Guantánamo during her first visit, for example. It remains to be seen whether Sarkozy will be equally adept," says Shapiro. But, he adds, a closer look reveals that even Merkel has failed to secure many concrete concessions from the US government. In his speech before Congress, Sarkozy is expected to call on the US government to do more for climate protection. But it remains very unlikey that Washington will make any concessions on the issue.

And What about Merkel?

Washington can afford to continue this asymmetric relationship because both Sarkozy and Merkel -- who will visit President Bush and his wife Laura at their Crawford, Texas ranch for two days at the end of the week -- continue to vie for the status of being Washington's go-to guy for Europe. They will not compete openly for this role, "but behind the scenes, America could very well play them off against each other. This administration is very pragmatic. They go where they get the greatest benefit," says Shapiro.

It's a strategy that could prove pivotal to Washington's Iran policies. If Sarkozy should agree, during his talks with Bush, to support more aggressive measures against Tehran, that would make it much more difficult for Merkel to reject such demands when she visits. And that could prove to be a serious leadership test for both Sarkozy and Merkel: Will they maintain their rapprochement course even if the Bush administration chooses to intervene militarily against Iran?

"This week could get really interesting," a high-ranking US government official told SPIEGEL ONLINE on Tuesday.

Editor's note: Visit SPIEGEL ONLINE on Thursday for a backgrounder on Merkel's Washington trip.