France on the path to global decline; How did Macron disappoint the French?
As one of the most important colonialists in history, as well as a permanent member of the Security Council and a member of the nuclear club and the NATO military alliance, France has enjoyed exclusive privileges in international affairs for several decades. The country was also known, along with Germany, as the most important member of the European Union, but now the page has been turned for some time and even Western think tanks believe that France has lost a significant part of its political influence over the past few years and does not have the same influence as before in the current equations of the international system.
The report of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) has repeatedly pointed out that France has adopted a lazy approach in areas such as participating in humanitarian aid, trying to mediate and promote peace, and other matters; and this is in a situation where, due to Macron’s statements about the “brain death of NATO”, the member states of this Western military alliance are not happy with his positions.
Macron on the verge of resignation
Macron called the snap election in the hope that fear of Le Pen and the radical left would scare French voters. However, the result was that Le Pen won a large number of votes and Macron’s bloc was forced to seek help from the left. But after a short time, he abandoned his left-wing allies and struck a deal under which Le Pen would support a centrist-conservative government led by Michel Barnier in exchange for concessions on immigration policy and other issues.
However, Le Pen also ended Barnier’s job despite numerous legal obstacles, and now analysts say it would be better for Macron to step down, as de Gaulle left power in 1969 with far fewer defeats than Macron’s. It would not be surprising if Macron did the same, because as things stand, it will not be easy for him to last until the 2027 elections.
The famous Paris newspaper Le Figaro has reported that France’s foreign influence has long been reduced and that it has no ability to play a role in international and regional crises. Le Figaro also acknowledged that since Emmanuel Macron entered the Elysee Palace as president in 2017, major problems have arisen, one of the most important of which is public dissatisfaction with Macron’s economic policies and his disregard for the poor and marginalized, which has led to increased inequality. Although the peak of the reaction to inequality emerged during the Yellow Vest protests in 2018, the scope of dissatisfaction is still expanding.
Le Figaro also noted that, according to the latest field survey, in just one month, the willingness of the French people to step down has increased from 54% to 61%. Meanwhile, 72% of French people believe that they do not hope that the president’s economic promises will be fulfilled.
Macron, who claimed to be using his country’s diplomatic capacity during some international crises, such as the war in Russia and Ukraine, actually caused negative economic consequences to put pressure on France itself. Recently, during the early parliamentary elections, France practically entered a clear political deadlock.
In a detailed report by the English-language newspaper Daily Sabah, published in Ankara, we are faced with the following analysis: “The parliamentary elections showed that complete chaos has overshadowed the French political atmosphere. Now all political activists in Paris know very well that the incompetence of President Emmanuel Macron has led to chaos in French politics and, of course, in addition to domestic problems, there is another problem, which is the decline in France’s influence on the international level.
Some economic analysts also believe that France’s problem is not only due to unfavorable economic conditions, Macron’s decline in popularity and international influence, and Paris has also faced obstacles and setbacks in the soft power sector. Bertrand Chauvet, CEO of Brand Finance France and an expert in branding, points out that France has always had high points in terms of the breadth of its activities in the sectors of international relations, tourism, culture and historical heritage, and art and entertainment, and has always been the center of luxury brands and the world of fashion. Still, it has faced an obstacle called the decline of soft power in pursuing transformative goals and implementing changes at the national and international levels.
Europe and the consequences of France’s decline
After the UK left the European Union, France and Germany have always been recognized as the most important powers in this union. As a result, their political problems directly affect the entire union. Anatole Lyon, senior researcher at the Quincy Research Institute, said on this subject: “France and Germany are two important countries that are very important for the European economy, but in just one month, the governments of both countries have faced collapse, internal disputes and tension over how to deal with the budget deficit.”
In both cases, their financial problems, a combination of economic recession and pressure on welfare budgets with the cost of supporting Ukraine with weapons, have worsened dramatically. In fact, in France, the financial crisis has led to the decline of mainstream political parties and has paved the way for the rise of extremist and radical politicians.”