Secretary of State John Kerry described France as the United States ' ` ` oldest ally '' Britain , which maintains its ` ` special relationship '' with the US , ' n't join military action in Syria . While France has been a historical ally of the United States , going back more than two centuries to the Revolutionary War , in more recent times the French and their American cousins have not always marched to the beat of the same drummer . France and Washington have not always seen eye - to - eye , notably on the 2003 Iraq invasion . France also declined to support air strikes on Libya under Reagan in 1986 .
Secretary of State John Kerry described France as the United States ' ` ` oldest ally '' Britain , which maintains its ` ` special relationship '' with the US , ' n't join military action in Syria . France and Washington have not always seen eye - to - eye , notably on the 2003 Iraq invasion . France also declined to support air strikes on Libya under Reagan in 1986 .