Winds of Change has a detailed article up that tries to explain France's foreign policy and anti-Americanism. It's a dim view, but also one that is full of generalizations and slight on support for numerous claims. However, given that the author lives in Paris I'm inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt. If his analysis is correct, then France is in a serious decline. I don't know enough about the internal politics there to argue any of his claims, but I hope his conclusions are mistaken. Either way, it's a worth-while read, so check it out.