PARIS — What will be the consequences of France's return — announced by President Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday — to the integrated military structure of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization?
NATO allies are quietly satisfied, but nobody expects major changes in France's military contribution. In the last 10 years, it has been on par with the other major European allies. The reason is simple: Since France's return to the Military Committee in 1994, its position within NATO has allowed for full participation in the alliance's military and political activities.
In Paris, the move has not in itself raised major political opposition for two main reasons. First, nobody disputes the obvious: Since Charles de Gaulle's decision to withdraw from the military organization more than 40 years ago, the alliance and the world have changed profoundly. Today's global threats demand greater European as well as NATO solidarity, and the alliance's successive enlargements mean that most EU members are now NATO members as well.
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