[timschmidt]

Worth pointing out that next to the US, France is another empire with economically tied former colonies throughout Africa, Asia, and South America. They have a large installed base of nuclear power, nuclear ships, and nuclear weapons fed from uranium mines in those former colonies. And operate an aircraft carrier to project power internationally: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_aircraft_carrier_Charle...

Despite the ways France tends to be portrayed in the US media, it plays an outsized role in European and international politics as a result. Makes sense the CIA would want to be involved.

[keiferski]

The Paris Review hasn’t been in Paris since 1973. And it’s in English, not French, so I doubt that there is much connection to France itself anymore via the magazine.

[timschmidt]

Ah, my mistake. Shows how uncultured I am! lol. Thanks for the correction.

[Rover222]

I still enjoyed reading your facts on the French empire

[keiferski]

No worries, I read the magazine for years before realizing it had no contemporary connection to Paris :)

[spieden]

I brought up the aircraft carrier in a conversation with a Frenchman while our daughters played in his apartment off the Champs-Élysées some months ago. He said: "Yes, it was very expensive and we don't take it anywhere." ; )

[lloeki]

IIRC the operational plan involved having two of those as projection is much more limited (and notably cannot be continuous due to docked maintenance periods) with only one.