Politics this week

France reacted with fury to American, Australian and British plans to form a new defence pact in the Pacific. France was not invited to join. Australia is also cancelling a contract for French diesel-powered submarines in favour of American (or just possibly British) nuclear-powered ones. Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French foreign minister, called it a “stab in the back”, and withdrew his ambassadors from Washington and Canberra, though the French ambassador to America is now being sent back following a make-up call between presidents Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron.