"In French doctrine, nuclear weapons are meant to deter attacks against 'vital interests,' to create uncertainty among potential attackers about what these interests could be," said François Heisbourg, special adviser at the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris.
All five attackers, about whom no substantial information has been made public, were soon killed.
He said the attackers, about 100 men wearing white face masks, had been sent by developers who wanted to clear the area for a large-scale residential project.
Shortly after the attack, Amanda Donnelly and her daughter Gemini Donnelly-Martin comforted the dying soldier, while mother-of-two Ingrid Loyau-Kennett calmly spoke to the alleged attackers about why they did what they did.
Tasers shoot an electrical charge that incapacitates an attacker for about 15 minutes.
One of the officials said the attacker was about 16 years old, but his age could not be verified.
Meanwhile, the 51-year-old motorcyclist who tried to stop the attacker spoke about his experience to Nice-Matin.
The trick of defending is to make the attacker think about what you are doing.
Michael Lammbrau of the Arirang Institute think tank told Reuters that the attacker shouted about Korean independence while he was being restrained.
