Framing ‘cooperation’: the discursive justification of French military interventions in Chad in the French press and foreign policy, 1960-2014

Chad has been central to French military operations in Africa since the colonial period. Yet the France-Chad relationship is under-researched in academic scholarship. This thesis critically analyses the longevity of French military interventionism in Chad as a key component of the relationship after Chadian independence in 1960. It does so by examining the role of French foreign policy and journalistic texts in shaping French military interventionism in Chad post-1960. Through the case study of French military operation Epervier (1986-2014), I trace the development of interventionist discourses in the language of the French press and policy.

Central to this thesis is the notion of discourse as a social practice, with the power to shape events. I use Critical Discourse Analysis-Discourse Historical Approach and framing to reveal underlying ideologies within discourses of the French press and policy documents. There are two main findings. Firstly, the discourse of French policy documents, forming the legal foundation of Operation Epervier, redefined the nature of the France-Chad relationship from colonialism to ‘cooperation’ post-1960. Secondly, analysis of news articles in the mainstream French press (Le Monde, Le Figaro and Libération) on Operation Epervier demonstrates discursive collusion between the French press and state.

The discursive shift from colonialism to ‘cooperation’ positioned Chad as dependent on French assistance, justifying French military presence. Yet, the ongoing economic and geostrategic benefits of Operation Epervier to France, at the expense of Chad, reproduced power inequalities rooted in a neocolonial system. I argue that by discursively justifying military operations, the policy and journalistic texts reinforced a neocolonial discourse and set of practices, based on ideological assertions and a process of naturalisation of a power imbalance between France and Chad. This thesis contributes to the broader picture of French military presence in central Africa and the naturalisation of French neocolonial ideology and practices.