During his first term, Chirac was regarded as the most pro-American president in modern French history, but his second term was marked by transatlantic tensions.

Jacques Rene Chirac was born in Paris in 1932. In 1959, he completed an advanced degree at the prestigious Ecole Nationale d’Administration, which educates France’s top civil servants. In 1962, Chirac was appointed to the staff of Prime Minister Georges Pompidou (1911–1974). In 1965, Chirac left his staff position after he was elected to the municipal council for Sainte-Fereole. Two years later, Pompidou convinced Chirac to seek a seat in the National Assembly. He was elected and subsequently appointed state secretary for economy and finance. Chirac continued to serve in the cabinet of Valery Giscard d’Estaing (1926 - ) after Pompidou became president. In 1973, he was appointed minister of agriculture and rural development. When Pompidou died in office in 1974, Giscard d’Estaing became president and appointed Chirac prime minister. Chirac served until 1976, when differences over the scope of the prime minister’s authority led to his resignation.

In 1976, Chirac was elected president of the Union of Democrats for the Republic (Union de Democrates pour la Republique, UDR), the main Gaullist grouping. The party subsequently changed its name to the Rally for the Republic (Rassemblement pour la Republique, RPR). The election confirmed Chirac as the leader of French conservatives. In 1977, Chirac was elected mayor of Paris on a platform that emphasized moderate social policies with probusiness measures, including incentives to attract companies to the city. In 1979, Chirac launched a public campaign against the pro-Europeanist policies of Giscard d’Estaing and warned that deeper integration into the European Common Market would undermine France’s social and political autonomy. Chirac ran for the presidency in 1981 against Giscard d’Estaing and Socialist Francois Mitterrand, but finished third in the balloting. He was nevertheless reelected to the National Assembly, a position he maintained until 1995. Chirac also continued to serve as mayor of Paris until 1995.

When the Gaullists gained a majority in the Assembly in 1986, Chirac was appointed prime minister by Mitterrand. Tensions were high between the two figures, however, and Chirac endeavored to use his post as a foundation for a presidential bid in 1988. He lost the election to Mitterrand. Despite his earlier opposition to European integration, Chirac supported the Maastricht Treaties and campaigned in favor of the European Union (EU) in the 1992 national referendum. In 1995, Chirac was elected president. He improved relations with the United States and deepened France’s role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). He also continued Mitterrand’s policy of close cooperation with Germany. Chirac endorsed NATO’s peacekeeping role in the Balkans and argued for a greater European role in resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict. He tried to negotiate a peaceful settlement in the 1999 Kosovo War, but then supported NATO air strikes when the talks failed to resolve the conflict. Chirac faced international criticism for French nuclear tests in Polynesia in 1996, but later announced an end to all French atomic testing and signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. The president endeavored to refocus NATO and European security policies toward the Mediterranean and Middle East, but did support NATO’s 1999 expansion. In 1999, in response to charges of corruption, a court decision declared that Chirac had immunity from prosecution as the current president of France.

Chirac offered diplomatic and military support to the United States in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks. France increased intelligence and law enforcement cooperation with the United States. In addition, France provided troops and military support for Operation Enduring Freedom. However, he opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and was instrumental in ensuring that the United States did not gain a United Nations resolution authorizing military force against Iraq. Chirac even threatened to use France’s veto on the Security Council to prevent a resolution on the use of force. Chirac’s opposition to Iraq increased his popularity in France. In an effort to unify the Gaullist parties and other conservative groupings, Chirac launched a new political party in 2002, the Union for a Popular Movement (Union pour un Mouvement Populaire, UMP). In the 2002 presidential election, Chirac faced far-right extremist candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen (1928 - ) in a runoff election. Chirac easily defeated his opponent as moderates, Gaullists, and Socialists joined together to beat Le Pen.

Chirac consistently sought to maintain French influence in its traditional spheres of influence. He proposed the creation of an EU rapid reaction force to be used in humanitarian crises in Africa. He also deployed troops to the Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) in 2002 in response to a civil war and to protect French citizens and interests. Conversely, he was opposed to intervention in other instances, including the Darfur Crisis.

Chirac reluctantly endorsed the EU and NATO expansion in 2004. He was afraid that the new members, most of whom supported the U.S. invasion of Iraq, would dilute French influence in both organizations. In negotiations in 2005 over the EU Constitution, Chirac opposed a federative structure with significant supranational powers. He campaigned in support of the compromise constitution ahead of a national referendum on the document. However, voters rejected the EU Constitution by a 55 percent majority. Since the document required approval by all member states, the no vote effectively derailed the proposed basic law.

Chirac’s popularity declined significantly during his second term. In October and November 2005, there were widespread riots in Paris and other urban areas by North African immigrants who charged widespread discrimination by police and complained about government inaction on chronic high levels of unemployment. An unpopular unemployment law led to renewed rioting in 2006, this time by students, and he ultimately withdrew the measure. Chirac supported the multilateral effort to negotiate a resolution to the 2006 Iranian nuclear crisis.

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