French looking to shake ‘arrogant’ tag

Liberte. Egalite. Fraternite.

And now, humilite?

In a report commissioned by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, former Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine urged a new modesty in the country’s economic and foreign policy, saying that France somehow had acquired an international reputation for arrogance.

“As surprising as it might seem, just as our country is emerging from a long period of self-doubt and underestimates itself as a ‘middle power,’ France continues to be perceived as ‘arrogant’ in a great part of the world,” Mr. Vedrine concluded.

Mr. Vedrine noted that the arrogance charge, “anchored in old behaviors and history,” is used by France’s rivals to contain her foreign policy.

But, the former top diplomat acknowledged that “this perception is widespread even taking that into account.”

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