I think that it is wrong to characterize Sarkozy as “right wing”... unless you are working for the NYSlimes or some European media organization. Sarkozy holds positions on most issues MUCH like GUILIANI.
He is much more concerned that France recover some respect in the world, whereas the previous governments were striving merely to serve as a “counterweight to the United States”... and thereby became predictable, and no longer relevant.
His economic policies are at least somewhat conservative, but France today is in much worse a position than America was in 1980. It took Reagan and the FED six HARD years to manage a recovery that was clear ... and we didn’t have the MUSLIM “immigrant” problem that Sarko has.
He’s going to need a lot of support, luck and prayer to reverse the damage that the last two decades have done to France. I’m not real optimistic he can do the trick, especially with the EU restrictions that France doesn’t have full say in changing.
Not even addressing how Kyoto and Kyoto-follow-up is going to destroy world wide economies, too... aargh... he’s got a tough roe to hoe.