And I think it's not only true for the colonial affairs but it can be also true about the global expansion strategy and even other things.

And even about before the colonial empires, we often says in France that while the British were looking for a great empire in the world but not in europe we only wanted europe. It isn't so simple meanwhile.

For a long time it have been a difficult thing to be a continental european country. Maybe it was because of geopolitical fact. I think we don't accept so well to retires a little time from the european affairs and that it is more easy for the british. Just find a war in western europe from 1200 to 1945 were france wasn't involve in.

The british always have had a very meticulous preparation of their strategy and always have been a good "alliance plyer/maker" while we were more ambitious and direct and less careful. The napoleonic wars aren't a bad example. France wins , wins and wins again and goes back to war. England first resist on their island, than begins to win, France begins to loose, England then is having a key role in the creation of a last coalition. France can't win anymore and England wins and becomes the greatest nation in europe.

But the french too can have a meticulous and good plan: during the thirty years war for example. Waiting that the germans states are weak and the spanish divided, then attacking and entering in war and at the end becoming the first nation in europe.

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