In a book published last January, “La France pour la vie” (“France Forever”), a seemingly humbled Mr. Sarkozy acknowledged a few mistakes and tried to portray himself as a new man. But one thing Nicolas Sarkozy, 61, does not lack is political ambition. So why should France need Mr. Sarkozy in 2017 if it did not want him in 2012? Some saw in the title “All for France” a reference to a book written by Jacques Chirac for his 1995 campaign, “La France pour tous” (“France for All”). But the turn has not been toward confrontation, and Nicolas Sarkozy may well have misjudged it.

Source: New York Times September 06, 2016 10:30 UTC