But within weeks it became clear that idealism was off the agenda. Judging by Sarkozy's tired and emotional state at a press conference following his first meeting with Vladimir Putin, there had been more toasts than hard talk about human rights. Two days after Russia's invasion of Georgia this month, Sarkozy was on a plane to Tbilisi where he rustled up a six-point plan which was signed...and duly ignored by the Russians, who have exploited the ambiguities of the hastily drafted text. Sarkozy then threatened the Kremlin with calling an EU summit, which must have had Putin and Medvedev quaking in their Cuban heels. Undeterred, and with Russian tanks still inside Georgia, Sarkozy bizarrely declared the crisis a victory for European unity despite Gordon Brown going AWOL and Silvio Berlusconi blaming the Georgians for everything. Sarkozy is right that Europe needs to develop a common policy to stop Russia pushing it around but that should not be one of capitulation.

Sarkozy has been similarly craven and clumsy in his policy towards Africa.

His first visit to the continent last July began with a speech in Dakar laden with racist, pretentious clichés about how "African man" had "not fully entered into history" and had "no idea of progress". His next stop was to visit Omar Bongo, President of Gabon, world's longest serving dictator, and lynchpin of the Françafrique - the name given to the system of corrupt neo-colonialism which has defined France's relations with its former colonies and which Sarkozy had criticised prior to becoming president. His development minister, Jean-Marie Bockel was even more explicit, announcing in January that he wanted to "sign the death warrant of la Françafrique." Two months later, Bockel was pushed aside into the insignificant Ministry for Veterans. According to La Lettre du Continent, an insider newsletter about African politics, Bockel's sacking was ordered by Bongo himself. He threatened to reveal four decades worth of Franco-African dirt if Bockel was not removed.