This work underlines, beyond the ages and the international systems, a constant: France still thinks itself as a power with a universal vocation. However, the modalities of this substantive objective are changing with the changes in the international system. As France’s own resources decline, it needs more than ever to deepen the European axis and play a part in a world that it wishes to be multilateral, while remaining within the framework of Atlantic solidarity.
Keywords: France; Charles de Gaulle; Diplomacy; Power.