quote:
Originally posted by Rob Kamphausen:
a question:

why is france still such a prominent member of the world (namely, one of only a small few permanent members of the security council)?

im not trying to make a biased opinion here (at least, with the above question) -- but i just dont honestly understand why france, of all places, is considered a superpower (or "big power") in today's world.
I think I listed most of the reasons in the opening to this thread, from memory. Much of it is historical (India, Germany, Brazil and Japan have all expressed an interest, but its too tricky to amend the UN rules to allow them to become SC members. All 4 of those countries have valid claims to sit on the SC, but no way would France give up its seat)

But otherwise.....France has extraordinary influence in Afrique (witness the recent French brokered settlement in Cote d'Iviore) and Indo-Chine, primarily because French is the dominant languages in much of those two regions. It is a nuclear power, with a big army. It has a huge economy - with Germany, it is one of the two powerhouses of the EU. It has the world's largest tourism trade, bar none.