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France and the Arab World: Between Myths and Realities The encounter between France and the Arab world is nothing new. Nevertheless, after centuries of suffering and struggles, the fascination expressed for one another has become, in the beginning of the 21st century, a relationship based on mutual interests and devoid of the rosy images that local elites, both here and there, wish to purposely maintain. The war in Iraq has reinforced the links between these two parts of the world; the demonstrators in the Arab street were willing to take up the cause defended at the United Nations by the French government against an American intervention. This rapprochement has confirmed the central role of France at an international level in shaping the relations with the Arab world.