Actually, the French Army is very professional and capable. Since WW2, France has taken a very active role in Africa, especially in former french colonies.
The intervention in Mali in 2013 was a master class in warfare. Islamic rebels conquered eastern Mali and were threathening the capture the capital, Bamako. The French sent in a small elite force which reconquered most of the country and smashed the rebels in a few weeks.
The French in Africa have been doing what the U.S. is doing in the middle east, but more efficiently and without all the big media fanfare.
All the while, the french have managed to keep good relations with most of the former french colonies in Africa. For example, France has managed to keep very good relations, both politically and economically, with Algeria, despite the Algerian war in 1956-62.
The U.S., UK, Canada, Germany, etc. could do a lot worse than trying to emulate french foreign policy.
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