Large unemployment has been a major obstacle for the party to overcome. With the unemployment rate in double digits, France is in dire need for change in socioeconomic policies. The party's moderate stance on immigration is interesting because so many French citizens have lost jobs to immigrants. Perhaps it the Socialist Party's stance on immigration that could lead to their undoing (Theen and Wilson pp. 124-126). .
As far as international relations are concerned the French Socialist Party has fared better than Gaullist governments with other world powers. A major surprise in international diplomacy was the support the party gave to the United States during the Cold War, instead of supporting the socialist Soviet Union. Consequently, the United States has traditionally had better relations governments led by Mitterrand as opposed to Gaullist governments. The party supports a strong and independent nuclear force as well as enhancing the cooperation of forces in the European Union. Developing a Franco-German battalion was a brainchild of Mitterrand, who feels very strongly on enhancing France's military and nuclear power. .
The election of 1997 brought many promises from the Socialist Party of France. Massive job creation programs, expansion of public transportation, reduction of the workweek to 35 hours with no loss of pay, new social benefits, relaxation on immigration, and an end to privatization of public corporations. Unfortunately for the party and the people of France not all of these promises came to be true. France does have the shortest workweek of any country in the world, yet the presence of the European Union and its overwhelming amount of money it will cost to fund it, have hamstringed the Socialist's advances in France's socioeconomic policies (Theen and Wilson pp.128). .
With many of its voters now supporting the far Right, plus the emergence of factions, the Socialist Party of France is at a crossroads.