Under President François Hollande any notion that France is playing an equal role to Germany has disappeared. Over Cyprus, even the Finns seemed to weigh more heavily in the debate than the French…. France has failed to articulate a policy or build a coalition. The result is that within the EU there is no alternative to German agenda-setting. This is paralleled by growing Russian weakness, especially as evidenced by the latest events in Cyprus. The two powers who since late 19th century have served to balance Germany in Europe are both in eclipse. Other than Germany, Turkey is the only power on mainland Europe that is gaining clout. These are interesting times.