Nicolas Badalassi, France, the Cold War and the Mediterranean. From the Evian agreements to PerestroikaPresses universitaires de Rennes, 14 March 2024, 342p.

Summary:

In a historiography of the Cold War largely devoted to relations between the United States and the USSR, France has long been the poor relation. However, it did experience "its" Cold War and was not content to play second fiddle. What's more, in one of the main theatres of East-West opposition, the Mediterranean, it became a key player in the bipolar game between the 1960s and the 1980s. As the only country bordering this sea to possess nuclear weapons, to be a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and to enjoy a strong influence in both southern Europe and the Arab world, the France of the Fifth Republic sought to establish itself as a link between East and West, East and West, North and South; it also endeavoured to combat the penetration of the USSR into an area considered vital for the security of Western Europe.

By offering a decompartmentalized analysis of France's Soviet, transatlantic, Arab and European policies, and by paying attention to societal changes in the Mediterranean basin (issues of identity, religion and the environment) and their impact on the evolution of the international balance of power, this book shows the extent to which competition between the blocs has led to the emergence of a genuine French doctrine for the Mediterranean.

Link to the book