French Policy in Africa

Chatham House in London published in May 2013 an analysis titled "A New Way to Engage? French Policy in Africa from Sarkozy to Hollande."  The authors are Paul Melly, associate fellow at Chatham House, and Vincent Darracq, analyst at International SOS in Paris.

The authors conclude that President Francois Hollande's early strategy has attempted to refashion France's wider political approach towards Africa and make a distinct break from the message and policy priorities of the Sarkozy era.  Hollande sent a strong message in 2012 that countries with democratic governance will benefit from stronger support.  However, in practice he has adopted a much more flexible and nuanced approach in dealing with individual regimes.