It would help France to climb down from its own strident position on Iraq if the Americans toned down their own strident anti-French rhetoric.

ECONOMIST: How France could improve its foreign policy

But the effort should be two-sided: the French should drop their anti-American rhetoric too.

ECONOMIST: How France could improve its foreign policy

But business leaders in France have expressed concern that the government's rhetoric is undermining confidence in French industry, our correspondent says.

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