The business of Revue Défense Nationale is to be at the heart of strategic debate in France, and to make it easier for both our countrymen and our partners to understand French defence commitments in the service of peace and international security. The recently departed (and sorely missed) Pierre Chaunu regretted some twenty years ago that ‘France, tired of grandeur ... is looking for increased security, and fewer initiatives, responsibilities and adventures.’⁽¹⁾ While it was true in those days, France is today still in the forefront of a group of states which are promoting a new system of governance for the planet: one which acknowledges the realities of the twenty-first century, a system of governance which respects the interests of the greatest number. As [the Polish essayist Witold] Gombrowicz noted, to be French is also to be aware of something which is greater than just France itself.

But beyond these external realities there remains a domain in which France has an obligation that remains its priority: as for any other state, to defend its national interests. So to inaugurate this new-style Revue Défence Nationale, it seems to me appropriate to review French strategic interests, and to spark a debate on this theme.

As an opener, perhaps, allow me these three brief observations on methodology: