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France Tries to Get Onside With Washington Ahead of First State Visit

Foreign Policy talked with the French ambassador about energy, the war, and looming trade tensions.

By J. Alex Tarquinio, a journalist reporting from the United Nations in New York.
Philippe Etienne, the French ambassador to the United States, speaks during a reception.
Philippe Etienne, the French ambassador to the United States, speaks during a reception.
Philippe Etienne, the French ambassador to the United States, speaks during a reception in Washington on Dec. 1, 2021. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Netflix

French President Emmanuel Macron will be trailed by a sizable entourage on his state visit to Washington this week, the first of the Biden administration. He has brought cabinet ministers, writers, two astronauts, a test pilot, a ballet dancer, and business moguls.

J. Alex Tarquinio is a resident correspondent at the United Nations in New York, a recipient of a German Marshall Fund journalism fellowship, and a past national president of the Society of Professional Journalists. Twitter: @alextarquinio

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Tags: Foreign & Public Diplomacy, France

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