French Foreign Legion
Reading through the old posts to look for things I've missed for my background and thought I would put in my notes on the French Foreign Legion:
1999
n a cynical policy the French accept many foreigners living in France into the Foreign Legion (although the period of service required for French citizenship is extended from 3 years to 5 from 1st January). Training is brutal and almost all the foreign volunteers are posted to the Middle East (where the French government thinks they are far enough away not to cause trouble). This has the benefit for the French of gathering up a lot of violent foreigners who are in France illegally (strength rises from 7,000 to a peak of 40,000). The volunteers gain French citizenship provided they can survive their service..
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