HOW IT STARTED: America is back with Biden, France’s Macron says.
—Reuters, June 12.
How it’s going: “Furious.” France withdraws their American ambassadors.
The fallout from the sudden announcement this week of a secret deal between the United States and Great Britain to help Australia acquire nuclear submarines is not calming down yet. If anything, it’s escalating. China is obviously upset since they were specifically called out as the reason for the Aussies wanting that sort of naval power. But French officials were reportedly “furious” over the arrangement. They had assumed that they would be supplying the Australians with their next fleet of (conventionally powered) subs. Rather than being able to calm the waters in private talks, the argument has been carried out in a very public way, culminating yesterday with France withdrawing their ambassadors to the United States and Australia.
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I’m not opposed to the Australians obtaining nuclear submarines if their government feels that’s the appropriate action to take. And I’m fairly sure that the French aren’t objecting to the idea in principle either. They’re upset because they anticipated cashing in on a nearly $100 billion deal that’s suddenly been yanked out from under their feet.
—Jazz Shaw, Hot Air, today.
Related: How bad is it? So bad that even Jake Tapper is calling out his boss: Jake Tapper notes that it doesn’t seem like Biden’s living up to his promise to restore alliances.