FRANCE PERSPECTIVE

Paris reads the Starmer-Trump rupture as validation of the French thesis on autonomous European defense. Le Monde covers two complementary angles: the international live reports Starmer's reaffirmation that NATO serves 'American interests' — a sales pitch rather than conviction; the in-depth article analyzes British military weaknesses exposed by the war. France, the EU's only independent nuclear military power since Brexit, sees in Starmer's pivot confirmation of what Paris has said since de Gaulle: European dependence on Washington is a trap. Le Monde does not hide its interest in Starmer's 'surge in popularity' after abandoning his appeasement strategy toward Trump — a narrative resonating with Gaullist tradition of saying 'no' to Atlantic alignment.