<P> France under President François Mitterrand supported the 1991 Persian Gulf War in Iraq as a major participant under Operation Daguet . The French Assemblee Nationale even took the "unprecedented decision" to place all French forces in the Gulf under United States command for the duration of the war . </P> <P> In March 2003 France, along with Germany, China, and Russia, opposed the proposed UN resolution that would have authorized a U.S. invasion of Iraq . During the run - up to the war, French foreign minister Dominique de Villepin emerged as a prominent critic of the George W. Bush administration's Iraq policies . Despite the recurring rifts, the often ambivalent relationship remained formally intact . A few days after the September 11, 2001 attacks, President Jacques Chirac--later known for his frosty relationship with Bush--had ordered the French secret services to collaborate closely with U.S. intelligence, and created Alliance Base in Paris, a joint - intelligence service center charged with enacting the Bush administration's War on Terror . </P> <P> Public attempts in 2003 to boycott French goods in retaliation for perceived French "active hostility toward America" ultimately fizzled out, having had no impact . Nonetheless, the Iraq war, the attempted boycott, and anti-French sentiments routinely whipped up by American commentators and politicians bred increased suspicion of the United States among the French public in 2003, just as anti-war demonstrations, hostile treatment of American tourists in Europe, and the actions of the French government bred a similar level of increased distrust of France in the United States . By 2006, only one American in six considered France an ally of the United States . </P> <P> The ire of American popular opinion towards France during the run - up to the 2003 Iraq Invasion was primarily due to the fact that France decided not to intervene in Iraq (because the French did not believe the reasons given to go to war, such as the supposed link between Saddam Hussein and Al - Qaeda, and the purported weapons of mass destruction to be legitimate). This contributed to the perception of the French as uncooperative and unsympathetic in American popular opinion at the time . This perception was quite strong and persisted despite the fact that France was and had been for some time a major ally in the campaign in Afghanistan (see for example the French forces in Afghanistan) where both nations (among others in the US - led coalition) were dedicated to the removal of the rogue Taliban, and the subsequent stabilization of Afghanistan, a recognized training ground and safe haven for terrorists intent on carrying out attacks in the Western world . </P>

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