The reemergence of a Cold War

I'm talking about right now. In 20 years the world will be very different. I don't like to ever make any guesstimates over 5-10 years. They are far too inaccurate. Right now China can not effectively project force beyond it's immediate geopolitical surroundings. France can. So in the sense of a great power game for third world influence, France is a valid competitor. Fyi France also has rather extensive deploymenths throughout Africa.

Wait are France and China fighting for third world influence right now?

Not that I know of. Neither has spheres of influence that stretch far enough. Iirc China has connections in Africa, in particular in Sudan, while French influence is mainly in North Africa, places like Algeria.

Apparently, there is a contest, and note that Sino-African trade volume has reached $106.8 million last year, almost double the 2006 figure listed in wikipedia, and will continue to rise in the foreseeable future.

Yeah China gives weapons to Sudan in exchange for Sudanese oil.

Well, conflict in Darfur is caused by food and water shortage, there is little anyone can do unless more food and water becomes available, so, the Chinese combat engineering battalion with their well drilling equipment is doing far more to help the problem in Darfur than all the "Save Darfur" t-shirt wearing, slogan yelling westerner.

Absolutely. But the bottom line is that China is there for the resources.

Quote:

...the birth of the 1st state controlled by the workers?

Which state was that?

The French do not have a strong military record,look at World War one through Dein Ben Phu. However China has a much better record.

Actually, the French did rather well in WWI; they stopped the German army in its tracks and wrecked the Schlieffen Plan. It was their performance subsequent to that which has been, shall we say, rather patchy.

The modern French military is far different from the WWII French Army. It's a quite capable force. Read up on French operations in Africa right now. They're also a post-RMA force, while China is still in the middle of it.

RMA?

Revolution in Military Affairs. It generally refers to a quantum leap in the way the game is played. For example the 20-30s saw an RMA that led to 3rd generation warfare. The 80-90s saw an RMA that's still continuing today to some extent.