TO capture the world in 2008, French President Nicholas Sarkozy has taken on a strategic turn as he has steered France as a major guardian of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the key routes where oil tankers bound from the Middle East to Europe and North America pass. Sarkozy’s moves has definitely turned the tables against the French and world media who have constantly branded him as a no-gooder except being a party guy who has wasted thousands in several Christmas and New Year soirees with his new girlfriend, former Italian model Carla Bruni. In signing the agreement with the United Arab Emirates, Sarkozy has agreed that France erect a naval facility and base at the capital of the UAE itself, Abu Dhabi. But the military base will be operational only in 2009 and it will be maintained with about 500 soldiers from the French Navy.

Another reason for the French military base is to serve as catalyst and mediator during tensions in the region. France as we know it has been an independent-minded country. Although it is part of the Western bloc, it can never be swayed nor coerced into following the foreign policies of the United States unlike Britain and the Philippines. The Strait of Hormuz was the place where United States and Iranian military vessels almost clashed last week. Once the French Navy will be put in place, they can be strategically positioned in the middle of the strait so that Iranian forces will be on one side and United States forces will be on the other side and they will never encounter each other. France maintains a healthy trade and political relationship with both countries so there is definitely no harm being there. By the way, 40 percent of the world’s oil runs through the Strait of Hormuz so it really is a very ticklish place in the planet.

And it is not just the Strait of Hormuz that Sarkozy is concerned about. The French president has also inked a fresh deal with the UAE to supply military weapons and armor. And it is a very lucrative deal because as a wealthy country, the United Arab Emirates are known to buy Humvees and other all-terrain vehicles by the hundreds. We know that civilian Humvees like those being owned by Hollywood star John Travolta as well as those featured in CSI: Miami are very expensive but so are the military ones. The United Arab Emirates do not just display their Humvees, they really use them in their anti-terrorist operations.

In his less than a week of touring the nations in the Middle East, Sarkolzy was also able to ink a deal with the Qatari government for joint military exercises with the French and the UAE forces. Under the deal, 600 troops coming from France will be merging with 700 troops from Qatar and another 700 from the UAE for the maneuvers. Of course, Qatar is another rich country which can immediately come to rescue France in times of need.