Nicolas Badalassi, France's Mediterranean Cold War. From Charles de Gaulle to François Mitterrand, Routledge, 2026, 324p. (ISBN 9781041234234 - DOI https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003737148)

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Abstract:

This book explores how, following the Algerian War, the Mediterranean emerged as a key battleground of the Cold War for France. Between the 1960s and 1980s, France positioned itself as the United States’ most reliable ally in countering the Soviet Union's attempts to establish a presence in Southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. To achieve this, France implemented a comprehensive containment strategy that engaged a wide range of actors and tools, including military forces, diplomats, intelligence agencies, scientists and aid workers. This approach allowed France to preserve its influence amidst the Soviet Union's southward expansion during the global Cold War. From Lebanon to Morocco, and through Cyprus, Greece and Italy, each crisis served as a test of the complex dynamics between Paris, Moscow and Washington.

France's Mediterranean Cold War will appeal to a diverse audience, including researchers, postgraduate students in history and international relations, professionals in international relations and diplomats. It will also be of interest to general readers, offering a unique perspective on the history of the Cold War and French foreign policy and providing an alternative lens through which to understand this critical period.

Nicolas Badalassi is Professor of Contemporary History in Sciences po Aix-en-Provence, France. He is the director of the Mediterranean Centre for Sociology, Political Science and History (MESOPOLHIS). He has published numerous books and articles on the history of the Cold War in Europe and the Mediterranean and on French policy during this period.

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Link to the book

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Table of Contents

Introduction 

1 - De Gaulle and the bipolarization of the Mediterranean: The making of a doctrine

2 - France's triumphant failure in the Mediterranean, 1967-1970

3 - Georges Pompidou and the ambiguities of détente, 1970-1973

4 - France and the Mediterranean epicentre of the «crisis of the West», 1973-1976

5 - France and the crisis of détente in the Mediterranean world-space,1976-1979

6 - Beirut before Berlin? France and the challenge of the Mediterranean's early exit from the Cold War, 1979-1985

Conclusion