These two gentlemen are French -- but they are also American heroes, because they helped the Continental Army to fight the British during The American Revolutionary War. The gentleman on the left is the Marquis De La Fayette, and the gentleman on the right is General Rochambeau.
They were not the only French assistance to the American colonies during that war. The French also supplied money, helped the U.S. form a navy, and went to war with the British (diverting British attention away from the American rebellion). In fact, a very good case could be made that without French help the American Revolution might well have failed.
For their part, the Americans have also helped the French in their time of need. This was especially true during the two World Wars. My point in recounting this history between the two nations is that France and the United States have always had close ties, and the people of the two nations have always had respect for each other. But while the people of both nations are friends (and undoubtably will remain so), that does not mean those peoples always like the actions of the other's government.
Americans did not like it when the French government refused to allow a flyover to bomb Libya, or when they refused to support the illegal American invasion of Iraq. And the French don't care for the illegal wars conducted by the American government or the bullying it does to weaker nations.
That's why I found the charts below (from the Gallup Poll) so interesting. They graph the popularity of each government with the citizens of the other nation.
