Editing Foreign relations of France (section)

===Jacques Chirac===
{{main|Jacques Chirac#Foreign policy}}

Chrirac's foreign policy featured continuity.<ref>Michael Sutton, "Chirac's foreign policy: continuity-with adjustment." The World Today 51.7 (1995): 135-138.</ref>  His most prominent move was a break with Washington. Along with his friend [[Vladimir Putin]] of Russia, [[Hu Jintao]] of China, and [[Gerhard Schröder]] of Germany, Chirac emerged as a leading voice against the [[Iraq War]] of 2003. They opposed [[George W. Bush]] (U.S.) and [[Tony Blair]] (Britain) during the organisation and deployment of a "[[Coalition of the willing]]" to forcibly remove the government of Iraq controlled by the [[Ba'ath Party]] under the dictatorship of [[Saddam Hussein]]. Despite British and American pressure, Chirac threatened to veto a resolution in the [[UN Security Council]] that would authorise the use of military force to rid [[Iraq and weapons of mass destruction|Iraq of alleged weapons of mass destruction]]. He rallied other governments to his position. "Iraq today does not represent an immediate threat that justifies an immediate war", Chirac said on 18 March 2003. Future Prime Minister [[Dominique de Villepin]] acquired much of his popularity for his speech against the war at the United Nations (UN).<ref>Stefano Recchia, "Did Chirac Say 'Non'? Revisiting UN Diplomacy on Iraq, 2002-03." ''Political Science Quarterly'' 130.4 (2015): 625-654 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/43828728 online].</ref>