The United States should intervene and improve relations between them

The British-French rivalry endangers the Western world

• British fishermen's boats gather after being banned from fishing by the French authorities.

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This week, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is mobilizing the entire world to confront the climate change crisis.

But Johnson is running this world summit, and he is busy with a sharp row with France over fishing.

The rivalry between Britain and France has recently become a serious international problem.

The summit of the seven rich countries was held last June in the light of another Franco-British dispute, and the problem at the time centered on Northern Ireland.

It seems that every minor problem between the two countries turns into an exchange of threats and insults.

The main problem is neither the fish nor Northern Ireland, but the British exit from the European Union (Brexit), and it can simply be said that Johnson wants this exit to succeed, while French President Emmanuel Macron wants it to fail.

Message

A recently leaked letter from the French Prime Minister, Jean Castix, addressed to the European Commission, stated that it is important to reveal to European public opinion that the costs of leaving the European Union are much greater than remaining in it.

The British took advantage of this message as evidence that Paris is seeking to punish Britain for its "Brexit".

The French claim that the British are interpreting the message at will.

The British government's eagerness to attach the worst-case scenario to this message is evident.

Although Johnson is euphoric after the success of the Conservative Party conference, opinion polls suggest that Britons are taking the view that "Brexit" was a colossal mistake.

In response to the question: “In hindsight, do you think Britain was right to leave the European Union?” 49% of those who answered the question said it was wrong, while 38% said it was really right.

Another recent opinion poll showed that 53% of the respondents said that they believed that "Brexit" led to an increase in prices.

Trouble on the road

These changes in public opinion could spell trouble for Johnson, especially if inflation worsens and supplies run short during the winter. This would make fabricating a conflict with Macron very tempting. And if the French carry out their threat to slow down the movement of British goods through the Channel ports, any resulting shortage of materials cannot be blamed on the French, but rather on the inherent flaws of “Brexit.”

The British government also appears ready to make unilateral changes to the Northern Ireland protocol, which was part of the Brexit agreement. Any quarrel with France would help Johnson to claim that these changes are a response to French intransigence, not the result of British bad faith. Like Johnson, Macron faces intense political pressure, as he faces the presidential election in April. And the rising star of the far right, Eric Zemore, repeats that "the British won the battle (Brexit)", so Macron should remove this idea.

The submarine deal, in short, a secretly negotiated security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, dealt a severe blow to France.

One US official says: “France thought (Brexit) made Britain lose a lot of prestige, and that Paris would bypass London.

And then they found out that we were making a secret agreement with the British behind their backs.” The French were incensed by the loss of a very large defensive contract with Australia.

The pressures the Macron government is facing has been reflected in the almost hysterical tone of some of the recent contacts.

The French Minister for European Union Affairs, Clément Bonn, stressed that the only language Britain understood was force.

stress relief

Clearly, something must be done to ease the tension that has persisted for several weeks. Ben Judah, of the Atlantic Council of Intellectuals, who holds British and French citizenship, presented an innovative proposal that both countries establish two joint committees of dignitaries to work on a plan aimed at reconciliation between the two countries. In an ideal world, such an initiative could pave the way for a new "friendly agreement". The first agreement was reached in 1904 and defused an earlier round of Anglo-French rivalry. But it seems that neither France nor Britain is ready to reconcile. The former British ambassador to Paris, Peter Ricketts, predicts that there will be many years of rivalry and conflict before relations finally improve.

But the Western alliance cannot afford it.

The poisons that have tainted Anglo-French relations seem to be contagious in NATO, the Group of Seven, and international negotiations on everything from the climate change crisis to global trade.

This confrontation between France and the United Kingdom will make it more difficult to form common positions for Western countries in disputes with China and Russia.

Researcher Thomas Wright of the Brookings Institution worries that Britain and France risk becoming archetypes of "European Japan and South Korea", close allies of the United States but bitterly competing with each other.

bridge construction

In Asia, the United States is trying to build bridges between Tokyo and Seoul. It is time for Washington to play the same role between London and Paris. Washington needs to disillusion both sides. Britain needs to understand that the US sees the EU as an important partner and will not lose the EU for Britain. The French must accept that the United States wants "British Brexit" to work and will not treat the United Kingdom as a rogue state. In fact, the ability of the United States to play the role of honest broker has become more complex after the submarine deal with Australia. But it seems that US President Joe Biden really regretted deceiving France and moved quickly to fix things.

Indeed, the fact that both Macron and Johnson clearly value their close relationship with Biden will give the United States a chance.

Using the language of exhortation and advice, the Americans should "arrange a modus operandi" and try to persuade the British and French to abandon their most alien threats and work together for the good of both countries and the Western world in general.

• The poisons that tainted British-French relations are susceptible to spread and contagion in NATO, the Group of Seven, and international negotiations on everything from the climate change crisis to global trade.

• The submarine deal, which is in short a secretly negotiated security agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, came as a severe blow to France.

• Every minor problem between Britain and France turns into an exchange of threats and insults.

The matter has nothing to do with fish or Northern Ireland, but rather with the British exit from the European Union (Brexit), and it can simply be said that Johnson wants this exit to succeed, while French President Emmanuel Macron wants it to fail.

Gideon Rushman - British journalist

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