The Dassault Rafale, France’s premier fighter jet, headlined the International Paris Air Show last week, showing off its state-of-the art maneuvers before a crowd of 300,000 defense industry leaders. While the air show ostensibly exhibited advances in aviation technology, France also brandished the Rafale as the centerpiece of major new diplomatic strides. Through a series of recent sales worth billions, most recently a $12 billion deal with Saudi Arabia announced Wednesday, the Rafale has become the backbone of Paris’s realpolitik economic diplomacy aimed at sustaining its global stature and capitalizing on recent rifts in the United States’ relations with its …read more
Source: European Voice
