President Trump traveled to Paris this past week as the guest of honor at France’s annual Bastille Day celebration. This visit was marked by warmth and comity, in contrast to the friction that at times characterized his first two visits with European counterparts.
President Trump was looking for — and had — a successful visit that showcased the historical sacrifices made by the United States for European security and highlighted the partnership with Washington’s oldest ally. The aim for Paris, on the other hand, was to demonstrate its stature as a muscular actor in international security and position itself as the most effective broker between the United States and Europe.
{mosads}The July 14 military parade, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of the arrival of U.S. forces in World War I alongside the French and British, was meant to impress the American president. The ceremony featured the participation of nearly 200 U.S. soldiers along with six F-16 and two F-22 aircraft.
Add a luxurious dinner inside the Eiffel Tower and the gilt majesty of official events in the French capital’s halls of power, and this trip offered stunning visuals to entice the international media. At a time when Paris wishes to become Olympic capital for 2024, it certainly displayed resurgent French self-confidence after two years of security threats at home.
President Trump’s policies are not overwhelmingly popular in France, but nonetheless 60 percent of the French public supported the pragmatic invitation, two months after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s highly symbolic visit to Versailles. President Trump, who reportedly delayed a visit to London for fear of large demonstrations, did not face any such hostile reaction in Paris.
The French president emphasized the symbolic nature of the visit, and recalled the historical bonds that link the United States and France together well beyond individuals, a deft way to welcome President Trump with open arms without over-personalizing things. No handshake wrestling took place. Instead, the two presidents warmly congratulated each other during the press conference, with President Trump calling Macron a “great leader” and pledging to come to Paris again.
A few concrete steps were announced by the two presidents, who emphasized convergences and mutual understanding rather than their well-known policy differences. President Macron has been very critical of the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, yet both leaders avoided clashing over the issue, and President Trump went so far as to state “something could happen over the Paris agreement,” though it is doubtful that the U.S. administration will reverse course.
The United States and France showcased their excellent bilateral cooperation in the fight against terrorism, including in Libya and the Sahel region, a priority issue in France, which is engaged against radical groups in Africa and alongside the United States in Iraq and Syria. Weeks after both countries have drawn bright red lines that they would respond militarily to the use of chemical weapons, they also proposed the creation of a contact group to define a political roadmap on Syria.
For President Macron, this announcement represents a clear policy evolution, as he made clear that President Assad’s immediate departure was no longer a French prerequisite to negotiations on Syria. President Trump and President Macron also alluded to Russia indirectly by mentioning its role in achieving a ceasefire in part of Syria and the fact that Russian support would be needed for any political settlement. Both leaders agreed to cooperate closely in the fight against misinformation and online propaganda, but did not let the bilateral visit get dragged into the U.S. debate about Russia’s intervention in the U.S. election.
The meeting was carefully calibrated and began just hours after Macron wrapped up a joint Franco-German cabinet meeting. As the U.S. president was on his way to Paris, President Macron and Chancellor Merkel reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the Paris climate agreement with or without the United States. Any backtracking was explicitly ruled out again, as it had been at the G-20 last week.
At a time when the United States is calling on European allies to increase their defense spending, France and Germany took the opportunity to announce an agreement to jointly build a new generation fighter aircraft. For years, Paris and Berlin have emphasized the strengthening of the European industrial military base as a key to stronger European security and defense cooperation. The message from these Paris meetings is clear: France will deepen cooperation with Berlin, continue to strengthen the European Union, and preserve the transatlantic link with Washington.
The visit of the U.S president to Paris achieved its goal of resuming dialogue, rather than feeding a vicious circle of recriminations. President Macron achieved this without any policy concessions to the United States. Indeed, maintaining good personal relations in the longer run will be all the more essential for the two leaders to bridge diverging policy agendas. Still, Macron emerged from the meeting as a credible leader on the global stage, and Trump demonstrated an ability to overcome his instincts and get along with a political figure who is probably more popular among Democrats than Republicans.
That Franco-American relationship, which has always been frank and sometimes tumultuous, is weathering the political storm sweeping the West. It is a positive signal, both for the transatlantic link and the European Union. Now comes the time to resume working and achieve consensus toward stabilizing a volatile security environment.
Jeffrey Rathke is a senior fellow and deputy director of the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. He previously served more than 20 years as a foreign service officer, including a post as deputy director of the private office of the NATO Secretary General in Brussels.
Boris Toucas is a visiting fellow with the CSIS Europe Program. He previously served served at the nuclear nonproliferation office of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The views expressed by contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.