La France à l'ONU

Each member state of the United Nations has to maintain a precarious balance between the imperative of international coopération and the désire of an autonomous national policy. France has had particular difficulty in maintaining this balance since her foreign policy options hâve often called for UN interventions. Although France has only the limked means of a médium sized power, she has often felt forced to take a leading rôle in debates. The major functions of the UN — information, légitimation, control — hâve been exercised to the détriment of France, on her overseas policies, her military programme or her links with South Africa. Thèse functions hâve not weigheed in the same way on other states, whether super-powers or small states, although in France's view their policies were more open to criticism than her own. French politicians are more concerned with the activities of the United Nations than the French people imagine, but the real stakes of thèse activities are difficult to de fine. France's attitude waivered for a long time between résignation, anger and contempt before reaching a serenity free from bitterness.