As per http://www.aco.nato.int/page12730109 and http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/nato_countries.htm
France remains a founder-member of NATO. It hosts several NATO agencies such as the NATO Helicopter Management Agency, the NATO Hawk Management Office, the Research and Technology Agency, and the Central Europe Pipelines Management Agency which is responsible for the movement, storage and delivery of fuel in Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. In 2009 France ended its 40 year break in participating within the NATO command structure, but France has been a faithful ally by committing its troops to NATO operations.
As per this France is invoking the rest of EU and Russia but not NATO
Article 42.7 of the Lisbon treaty, has never before been invoked. It is modeled on the Nato Article Five commitment, and says that if a country is “the victim of armed aggression on its territory, the other Member States shall have towards it an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power.”
With 129 dead, now is the not to time for France to drag feet. With 230 dead in airplane bomb, Russia is already hitting targets in Daesh held territory. NATO and Russia together hitting targets invokes memories of the Allies in World War 2.
The UN Security Council remains relevant, and indeed the Iraq war proved how much better multilateral action is to unilateralism.
If NATO was relevant for Afghanistan , it is much more relevant to Daesh. By using the name Daesh, they intend to play down the imagery of Islamic State (ISIS) to reduce the propaganda recruitment that it is the West against Islam (clash of civilizations).
http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_110496.htm?
Highlights
- Collective defence means that an attack against one Ally is considered as an attack against all Allies.
- The principle of collective defence is enshrined in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty.
- NATO invoked Article 5 for the first time in its history after the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the United States.
- NATO has taken collective defence measures on several occasions, for instance in response to the situation in Syria and in the wake of the Ukraine crisis.
- NATO has standing forces on active duty that contribute to the Alliance’s collective defence efforts on a permanent basis.
It is NATO that should commit ground troops in sectors away from Russia. It is Russia that should be okay to fight alongside NATO ( or be exposed)
The enemy of a friend is an enemy. The enemy of an enemy is a friend.
France needs to do the French thing and help bring back the Allies together ( which it did in both World Wars) .
Else we will have much more attacks on Western Soil.
DECISION STATS 