Does the 'French Initiative' in Lebanon trigger European mistrust or reassure the European Union's zone of influence?

Abstract

The article examines how unilateral actions like the “French Initiative” (FI) in Lebanon play out within the European Union (EU) strategy. To do so, the article delves into what Lebanon represents for the EU’s security structure in a moment where the EU is reinvigorating its geopolitical positions and is learning the language of power. The article addresses some of the geopolitical implications that such an initiative could bring to Lebanon. It exposes as well how this initiative could spark mistrust among other EU member states. Therefore, it sheds some light on why the FI towards Lebanon has more chances to succeed if it involves the EU. How could the FI represent a good opportunity for the EU to reassure its zone of influence? How would this initiative represent a paradigm shift concerning the French foreign policy to the Middle East region? The article shows how the FI towards Lebanon will succeed if France decides to move away from its re-assurance approach towards a leadership position with concerted European cooperation. Only of this way the FI will not become a disruptive element that could jeopardize the trust of other EU member states with a geopolitical interest in the Middle East.