France recalling ambassadors to the United States and to Australia

I think the contract was important for France for soft power in the around the Pacific ocean as well. It's probably a very big loss to them in that regard, and I can't see how they can ever make up for that again. They're permanently hamstrung basically.

I do think it could have been handled in a more diplomatic fashion, but there was never going to be a nice way to break the news. Further I think if the Naval Group had been anywhere close to delivering on time and on budget then it would have been a fundamentally different discussion. France would have been at the table and part of the deal.

I think the big problem for France now is how to protect the reputation of the Naval Group. If this is seen as a failure to deliver by the Naval Group then future export opportunities may be threatened. So instead France is aiming to portray as a grand betrayal by Australia and the US.

Well, it has a track record in the region...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_the_Rainbow_Warrior

Australia did not want nuclear subs so the design of the French subs had to be modified to accommodate classic propulsion, hence the extra complexity.

Now Australia says it wants nuclear subs and is going for a new deal that's even more expensive.

My opinion is that all this emphasis on cost and problems with the French deal is just a smoke screen.

For the French the commercial aspect is not the most important aspect, actually. They have been much more seriously and deeply shafted and that will have a lasting impact.

Actually it was quite different - Australians wanted their own specifications, built on their own soil, where no local industry nor experience was present, and with US weapon system. The last point meant for that a full redesign was necessary, almost from scratch, and that they had to collaborate with a competitor who was given much more leeway for delays and great incentives to make the french contract go sour.

This is what happened finally, the french have lost their contract, the US will now build those subs and the Australian taxpayers will have to foot the bill.

> The costs and schedule blew out

It seems easy to tell this after the fact and there is different official way to complain about the contract.

Additionally, that don't answer to the question: Why they don't have to follow the standard and legal process for the next deal ?

> The US have played in secret against France in order to isolate it and to destroy its strategy in the region

Unless proven otherwise, this is a conspiracy theory. What are the reasons to destroy France's strategy in the region?

It's not like France had any strategy in the region anyway, rather they have business interest (50B lost ...), and well, they care about their islands - and not losing them. But let be honest, neither China, nor Australia nor the US is going to mount a military invasion against any of these islands!.. The threat for France is actually from within, as shown very well in New Caledonia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_New_Caledonian_independen...). And New Caledonia might not be alone...

The problem from a French point of view is a breach of trust from close allies. The problem is not that they made a collaboration agreement, and the breach of contract by itself could be worked out (this sort of things happen all the time). More annoying is that they did it behind France’s collective back, keeping them in the dark to the last moment even though diplomatic relations with Australia were considered excellent and those with the US re-normalising after Trump.

Also, France has some difficulties making the rest of the EU understand the urgency of the situation, and would have probably seized the opportunity for cooperation in the Pacific if given the chance, as they have quite large territories there, unlike any other European country.

Also also, this is a political victory for Boris Johnson who probably cannot believe his luck and is going to be a pain in the arse of everybody else in Europe for quite a few years.

So Australia and the US are right to work something out (China certainly is menacing). The U.K. is completely useless in this as usual. They should have done it better, though, and excluding France even though they clearly have aligned interests and are supposed to be close allies is not great.