The government re-shuffle carried out by French President Nicolas Sarkozy ushers in a new phase in French diplomacy vis-à-vis the Arab world. The arrival of Alain Juppe, the former prime minister and foreign minister in the government of cohabitation during the term of President Mitterrand, and the defense minister in Sarkozy's government for four months, represents a new juncture in French diplomacy. The appointment of Claude Gueant, the secretary general of the Elysee Palace, as minister of interior, in place of the president's friend Henri Guaino, also indicates this development. Sarkozy has suffered from weak opinion polls and is facing an unprecedented wave of criticism from the Socialists, as well as from diplomats, who have suffered during his term from not being listened to, and from foreign policy being planned unilaterally, with a small team represented by Gueant and presidential adviser Guaino, without taking what diplomats say into consideration. Juppe's return to the Foreign Ministry confirms what he has said himself, namely: “I never thought that I could work with Nicolas Sarkozy, but after the experience of four months at the defense ministry, I changed my mind and I saw that I could do that.” Juppe hesitated when Sarkozy offered him the Foreign Ministry in the new government, firstly due to the limited financial means available there. Also, he feared Sarkozy's goal of grabbing the limelight, and exercising control, especially in chairing the G20. This made working at the ministry impossible, due to the considerable presidential interference in its affairs. Now, the picture has changed. Sarkozy's weakness in opinion polls and developments in the Arab world that no one expected, and the criticism of the media and the opposition of the former foreign minister, Michele Alliot-Marie and her vacation in Tunisia at the beginning of that country's popular revolt, and her being the guest of a Tunisian businessman close to bin Ali, along with her family, on his private plane, meant Sarkozy's salvation lay in selecting Juppe, who everyone acknowledges is a true statesman, to take over the foreign ministry once again. Juppe is also supposed to listen to his diplomats and study issues. He knows the Arab world well and is very interested in pushing the hopeless peace process forward. He understands the issue in a profound sense and is aware of the importance of solving this issue for the region as a whole, and for the Palestinian people, with whom he is very sympathetic, although his relationship with Israel is also good. As for Lebanon and Syria, he is completely aware of the situation, while he knows the leaders of the Lebanese political class, and understands Syrian and Iranian interference in Lebanon. He approved of Sarkozy's openness to Syria at the beginning, and said there should be dialogue with rivals. However, the difference is that he will be more cautious with regard to Syria's policy in Lebanon, while remaining determined to safeguard the security and safety of French soldiers in South Lebanon. Juppe and his president will view developments in the Arab east and west, and the Arab revolutions now underway, and will be cautious in dealing with regimes that reject freedom for their citizens. This does not mean that Juppe will support boycotting all dictatorships, but he will advise the French president to engage in dialogue with such states, to prompt them more forcefully to undertake reform. The changes in the Arab world will certainly have huge repercussions for Western diplomacy, and especially for France in terms of Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Algeria, and also the Gulf; France's influence in Bahrain and Oman is not great, but it is important in Yemen. France's policy toward Syria in this phase will be more attentive to the results generated by this openness, which came without anything in return, and which began to change when Syria refused Sarkozy's suggestion to hold a meeting of Contact Group countries on Lebanon, in which Qatar, Turkey, Syria and Lebanon would take part. Now, with the return of Syrian hegemony over Lebanon, and the military toppling of the government by Hezbollah, French diplomacy vis-à-vis Syria will continue with dialogue, but under new conditions, and the need to achieve results from this dialogue. Juppe is greatly respected by French diplomats because he takes their recommendations in mind and respects their work; he is direct, and does not work through intermediaries. Recently, there have been more secret visitors to the Elysee Palace, especially Lebanese envoys who represent Syria. This policy is not accepted by a statesman such as Juppe, because he has come to help the president regain a strong role for France internationally.
