The Gaullist Revolt against the Anglo-Saxons

Abstract

Under President Charles de Gaulle, the foreign policies of the Fifth French Republic have proved disruptive to the Western alliance, particularly as they challenge the domi nant role of Britain and America in formulating Western policies. Officials and private observers in these countries have been quick to denounce many aspects of de Gaulle's diplomacy. They have been less inclined to understand both its sources and its implications. For, in whatever degree Gaullism collides with principles and strategies accepted in Washington and London, it is clear that de Gaulle's views present a continuing challenge that must be met by something more than criticism and reiteration of established doctrines. The Gaullist challenge has emerged strikingly in three areas of Western policy: in the matter of Atlantic regional unity and co-operation, in the intimate relationship between certain ele ments of Gaullism and the wider global phenomenon known as "neutralism" or "nonalignment," and in the extent to which Gaullism highlights tendencies toward stagnation in Western policies toward major cold-war issues. In this respect, if he has done nothing else, de Gaulle has called attention to issues that have been too long submerged and has compelled policy-makers in Washington and London to face certain realities they have thus far largely preferred to ignore.