By presenting programs akin to the paradigms rooted in the French political culture, the UMP party succeeded in defeating the socialists in a third consecutive presidential election.

The UMP party and Nicolas Sarkozy owe their victory to the popularity of the Jacques Chirac team over the past twelve years.

Sarkozy and most of his supporters consider Iran’s nuclear program to be their most important foreign policy challenge while the dissatisfaction of the lower socioeconomic strata is their major domestic concern.

The UMP’s success can be better understood if analyzed within the framework of the current French political system which is, of course, an heir to the French Revolution.

Basically, every political system maintains its existence through formulating certain paradigms in society. Since the 1789 revolution, France has gone through various periods as part of a process of creating a dynamic political system. The four republics leading to the present system of the Fifth Republic were the fruit of certain paradigms rooted in the French mindset.

Although the French regard the constitution as the cornerstone of their government and take pride in being the world’s pioneers in this idea, the country’s political culture has always prevailed over other factors.

The foundation of this political culture can be traced to certain ideas like the French people’s sense of superiority.

In the referendum for a united European Union constitution, the French people made it clear to the world that when humanity has not yet fully understood the concepts of freedom and equality in a traditional context, it does not make much sense to speak of a post-modern conception of freedom.

When massive social unrest broke out in the poor suburbs in 2005 and the protestors called for a return to the forgotten ideals of the 1789 revolution, such as liberty, equality, and brotherhood, it became evident that the party that thoughtfully based its strategy on the people’s will would prevail.

By ignoring the capitalistic origins of modern French society, Ségolène Royal facilitated Sarkozy’s victory. Moreover, her foreign policy slogans were more akin to the aggressive rhetoric of the U.S. political culture.

The French people nowadays define equality and justice in a capitalistic context, while Ms. Royal ignored this crucial point and stuck to the flowery socialistic calls for equality and brotherhood of the 1970s and 1980s.

The riots by the socialist minority following the election ironically reaffirmed the capitalistic trend. The demonstrators were people who had not received their fair share from the capitalist system and thus resorted to the pre-capitalistic slogans about equality of the 18th century.

In the referendum on the EU constitution, the French people showed that they want equality and brotherhood only for themselves because they have been raised in a capitalist system.

Due to his understanding of this political culture, Sarkozy spoke of reducing the number of troops in Afghanistan, despite his inclination to cooperate with the U.S., and expressed approval of Iran conducting peaceful nuclear activities, whereas the socialist candidate was opposed to any Iranian nuclear program, even one proven to be peaceful.

Sarkozy’s victory indicates that the UMP party has been more successful in utilizing the dominant paradigms of the French political system for its own benefit.

On the other hand, the socialists were left outside the door of the Elysée Palace, proving that they are not political geniuses.

Before the next presidential election, the socialists should reflect on the fact that viewing reality from an exclusively political point of view is like using sunglasses when a bird’s-eye view is necessary.