Neo-Bonapartism? A parallel between Nicolas Sarkozy and ...

Neo-Bonapartism? A parallel between Nicolas Sarkozy and Napoleon III
Metternich and its very first application to Otto Von Bismarck (while handling the balance of
power between Europe’s 19 th century powers). In few words, this German word justifies the
abandon of humanist principles and values while the national interest of a country is at stake. In
Sarkozy’s foreign politics, three main shifting of policies (both in tone and actions) are to be
mentioned at this regard: Libya, China, and Syria.
On the Libyan question, France was not directly involved: the dispute was between Bulgary and
Libya. As a matter of fact, Sarkozy in an intermediation move negotiated the release in July
2007 of “Bulgarian nurses jailed in Libya for allegedly having deliberately infected Libyan
children with HIV in 1998” (Meunier, 2008). His (then) wife, Cecilia, played also a role in the
happy ending of this crisis which still according to Meunier raised the profile of France as a
diplomatic actor and earned Sarkozy “triumphal headlines- if only briefly- before the cost of this
diplomatic coup came out in the public sooner than Sarkozy seemed to have anticipated”
(2008). Gaddafi’s son unveiled the signature of an important (and still secret at that time) arm
deal with France. The Aviation Week and Space Technology publication revealed that the
agreement was up to 14 billion Euros, and was to include 14 Rafales, 8 Tiger attack helicopters,
15 EC725/225 transport helicopters and 10 Fennec light single-engine helos, along with a range
of land and naval hardware (2007). Meunier for her part explained in 2008 that “it was also
later revealed that France may have sold a nuclear reactor to Libya as part of the deal”. Finally,
the Libyan dictator even enjoyed a full rehabilitation “in a western country since his banishment
from international diplomacy”: Sarkozy invited him to a full-scale state-visit to France, giving as
a pretext a “foreign policy of reconciliation” (Poirier, 2008). In this case, the Libyan arms
A website dedicated to this project is available starting Dec 7 th 2010 at: http://www.aui.ma/personal/~Y.Assaoui/
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