Has the French President’s Call to Arms Against ISIS Fizzled?

Hollande’s recent call to arms contrasts with the French reaction to the terrorist attacks in January. Two key events highlight the evolution of French rhetoric since January.

French President Francois Hollande visits a public center for insertion of the Defense (EPIDE) in Montry, France, on Feb. 16, 2015. AP Photo/Jacques Brinon

PARIS—After the bloody terrorist attacks in Paris on Nov. 13, French President François Hollande declared war on the Islamic State, also known as ISIS. But although he employed tougher rhetoric, Hollande didn’t necessarily make an about-face in French counterterrorism policy.

“The objective is clear, Daesh must be destroyed,” Hollande told his Defense Council the day after the attacks, using a pejorative Arabic acronym for the Islamist terror group.

In the weeks that followed, the French president undertook a marathon transcontinental diplomatic blitz to rally reluctant world leaders against ISIS.

We're at war against jihadi terrorism.

— François Hollande, president, France