How come France has become a third rate power? Like even in Europe

>>1296695
they were mainly important because they made up such a large percentage of europe's population. by the end of the 19th century this stopped being true

>>1296695
You're simply a deluded Briton
Europe in general is irrelevant nowdays, but the two most relevant among them are Germany and France
Britain is the pinacle of irrelevance, and basically an US satellite state

>>1296695
>UK is far more important than they.
What are you on about?
At least France got the power and will to interdependently pursue its own foreign policy in North Africa, Britain will only do whatever the USA allows and asks them to.
There's a reason we got cheese eating surrender monkeys rather than tea drinking ones.

Europe in general is a literal joke since 1945.

Britain has been selling this "muh strong independent Commonwealth" shit for decades but they're also weak as fuck. Germany has been trying to achieve economic superiority but they're going down the shitter now as well.

De Gaulle is the last true Frenchman who tried to postpone the inevitable.

Now EU is crumbling apart and Europe will once again become a laughing stock.

>>1296704

Well, even in an irrelevant Europe, they're not the arbitrer of any sort. Their word isn't law for anyone.. But Germany's word is.

>>1296695
They actually still have significant influence in several ex-colonies of them in Africa.

They're also a nuclear force and one of the few european countries with an actual armed force that can be used for something. They're also an important economy although Germany overcomes them in this.

In the EU, everything is between France and Germany and France is one of the few countries that can openly defy german interests. The thing is, they normally agree to something theorically benefical between both.

All in all, France is the most important power in continental Europe if we don't count the russians.

>>1296735
Not really

>>1296735
Only in economical affairs. Germany has no power projection and can barely defend themselves. They're word is only law when extorting countries economically dependent on them, France not included.

>>1296737

>still have significant influence in several ex-colonies of them in Africa

Oh wow, influence in a few shitholes??? Everyone move aside, Napoleon III empire still going stronk... Which also happened to be a total failure.

> a nuclear force

So are Paki's

>an actual armed force

Which can't do the job ever since World War II

>can openly defy german interests

And fail.
Everyone is talking about Merkel and not that manlet.

>>1296753
Are you 10?
Looks like you got lost on your way to Reddit

>>1296746

>Only in economical affairs

Which is all that matters in Europe nowadays.
Europe as a whole projects jackshit. So the fact Germany can't isn't really much different from what the other midgets are able to pull.
France its 'projection' of power always happens in tandem with others, because if it was up to them they'd overreach insantly.

Honestly, Eurofaggots are pathetic cunts like >>1296717 here.
The problem with Euro's ( whom are all liberals by American standards ) think they've transcended history. They honestly think the era of territorial conflicts is behind them and therefore for the entire world. So whenever shit hits the fan in the world they just have John Oliver tier "is this for real????" seizures.
They couldn't do shit in the Balkans. When Ukraine happened they were standing around helplessly. Georgia, a potential EU member at the time, they practically gave up as soon as Russia flexed its muscles a bit.

>>1296753
>Everyone is talking about Merkel and not that manlet.

Because France doesn't need to extort other european countries?

Zarkozy expulsed the illegal gypsies and nobody in the EU was able to do anything that wasn't crying.

>>1296754

Solid retort fella.

>>1296761
All those countries are russian sphere of influence, not western. Stealing from them the poles, the czechs, the romanians, the bulgarians and the baltics was enough and more than enough. The EU doesn't need more uncivilized eastern shitholes.

>>1296695
The answer is their economy.

Every since the industrial revolution, France's economy and demographics have never been able to keep up with Germany's.

Today it's an economically stagnant shithole paralyzed by corrupt unions, a bloated public sector, and excessive red tape.

>>1296764
It's not like you can give a good answer to that sort of bullshit.

>>1296761
That's because only America sees benefit from dickwaving with Russia 20+years after Cold War ended. No one wants to back your pointless geopolitical failures anymore.

>>1296771
>>1296783

That's changing the goalposts to whether or not we should have these countries into our sphere of influence.
The very fact we nibbled the Baltics from the Russians goes to show that spheres of influences are changeable and they clearly have been.
The EU can't expand for shit. They have to wiggle with the illusion of future prosperity as a bait, but they can't enforce their expansion.

What would it do without America when Russia invades the Baltics?
I guess letting their wife get fucked by a Congolese like every other night.

File: europe1.png (505KB, 649x446px) Image search: [Google]

505KB, 649x446px

De Gaulle was in favour of a European army, which would have changed Europe immensely. It didn't pass for obvious reasons.
Now Europe is like Japan: a US vassal if anything. We can do whatever we want internally, but our foreign policy is most of the time decided in Washington... Or at the whim of it.

>>1296816
France is pretty independent, or at least relatively so.

>>1296695

The better to hide their psychopathy with.

Guess who was responsible for Vietnam and some of the crazy shit in Africa today.

>>1296820
Keep deluding yourself, Jean-Yves.

t. fellow frenchman

>>1296859
The Vietnamese and Africans.

>>1296816
Japan is at least trying to become more independent