French haven't the nature for war. Their gallic laziness combines with their latinate voluptuousness with the result that they would rather eat and make love with their faces than fight.
Except for that whole "stopping the Islamic advance with Charles Martel and company......and then helping us win the Revolution..........and Napoleon.......they get 1/2 for Charlemagne too don't they?
They've easily had 2 of the greatest military leaders the world has ever seen and also one of the most meaningful defenders of Europe -- AND the guy who was the essential shared patriarch of the Germans and French.....
They had a really good run
But they also faced two of the most relentless and technologically advanced collect of foes that ever waged war.
(Central Powers and, later the Axis)
There a lot more that's GREAT about their history and culture -- but they've long since decided that their fate is the collective fate of Europe & their supra-national "leadership"
the French are great people with a great and meaningful past
But --- they need to consider the notion of doing something different in order to obtain a different outcome
GDIT I really haven't meant to ramble like this
I've taken some education and I ** AM ** WIRED **