The South Pacific in France's Defence White Paper

What is noticeable about the South Pacific in the French White Paper on Defence released by President Nicolas Sarkozy on 17 June is the rarity of any reference to it. The White Paper refers to Australia as a valued partner and briefly to its own collectivities in the Pacific zone (New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna), but little more. This is surprising in view of the White Paper's reference to the growing importance of Asia and the need for Europe to exert greater effort to explain and familiarize its public about Asia. The Paper actually refers to the 'distance' ('éloignement') of Asia, hardly the perspective of a France present in Asia's southern ocean.