I was impressed by the idea of European Union, middle sized countries joining together to cooperate to solve their own problems and help their neighbours. That was as a backpacker in central and Eastern Europe in the 1990's. By the time of the second gulf war, it was clear they could neither work together to persuade the US not to do it, or plan B, join up and make it overwhelming. Instead they were split. so rounding up the Europeans to give them leverage against Big USA and Big Japan may have seemed interesting in 1990, but having failed, it's time to join team democracy and work with the USA, that at last seems to have figured out it actually needs allies. He is not going to create a new pole. He will consign countries the size of Chinese provinces to irrelevance, being picked off by China one at a time. Napoleon would have known better (China is a sleeping giant quote..)
Apr 11, 2023·edited Apr 11, 2023Liked by Angelica Oung
To be honest, Macron has been fairly mediocre for more than a year. But this is the icing on the cake. 1/ he does not seem to have consulted most of his European partners prior his declaration, 2/ France does not have the means to play an important role in a conflict in the indo-pacific, 3/ his approval rating in France is at an all-time low and he certainly can't engage any seismic paradigmatic shift abroad (or even in France). It is a bit in the line of what he has been doing lately, mainly talking with his arse and doing whatever he wants, very carelessly, and without measuring the consequences of his word. The idea of a greater European agency is something entrenched in France, but nothing has been achieved (such as an "European army" or whatever you want) under his mandate. I fail to see how the Ukrainian conflict, for instance, reinforced Europe's "strategic autonomy". He is really just talking crap
aargh! Your assessment is spot on. He is acting alone and does not reflect the views of the people of France, and certainly not the EU parliament. Lately, what Macron is doing generally is not a problem so much as how he is going about it. In other words, it is his lack of diplomacy. For a diplomat he is failing. He appears impatient with the people of France because they do not see or understand the reasons for increasing the age at which they begin to receive their pensions. That is because he did not listen or at least appear to listen to them. Now this. He appears like so many other elected leaders to believe he is right about everything, dismissive to others who do not agree. His vanity up to this point has not been damaging but what his meeting with Xi has done is simultaneously piss off friends and allies while doing nothing positive to his image at home. Because he will still be young when his term is up he is looking toward a larger role in the European Union, perhaps Ursula's position. However, the members of the EU will not be receptive to a new president who makes decisions without consultation in an imperialistic manner.
Honestly seems like Macron likes the attention as the "elder statesman" of the EU, now that Merkel has exited stage left. I know in Japan the sentiment is similar to Taiwan, in the WTF category.
I was impressed by the idea of European Union, middle sized countries joining together to cooperate to solve their own problems and help their neighbours. That was as a backpacker in central and Eastern Europe in the 1990's. By the time of the second gulf war, it was clear they could neither work together to persuade the US not to do it, or plan B, join up and make it overwhelming. Instead they were split. so rounding up the Europeans to give them leverage against Big USA and Big Japan may have seemed interesting in 1990, but having failed, it's time to join team democracy and work with the USA, that at last seems to have figured out it actually needs allies. He is not going to create a new pole. He will consign countries the size of Chinese provinces to irrelevance, being picked off by China one at a time. Napoleon would have known better (China is a sleeping giant quote..)
To be honest, Macron has been fairly mediocre for more than a year. But this is the icing on the cake. 1/ he does not seem to have consulted most of his European partners prior his declaration, 2/ France does not have the means to play an important role in a conflict in the indo-pacific, 3/ his approval rating in France is at an all-time low and he certainly can't engage any seismic paradigmatic shift abroad (or even in France). It is a bit in the line of what he has been doing lately, mainly talking with his arse and doing whatever he wants, very carelessly, and without measuring the consequences of his word. The idea of a greater European agency is something entrenched in France, but nothing has been achieved (such as an "European army" or whatever you want) under his mandate. I fail to see how the Ukrainian conflict, for instance, reinforced Europe's "strategic autonomy". He is really just talking crap
aargh! Your assessment is spot on. He is acting alone and does not reflect the views of the people of France, and certainly not the EU parliament. Lately, what Macron is doing generally is not a problem so much as how he is going about it. In other words, it is his lack of diplomacy. For a diplomat he is failing. He appears impatient with the people of France because they do not see or understand the reasons for increasing the age at which they begin to receive their pensions. That is because he did not listen or at least appear to listen to them. Now this. He appears like so many other elected leaders to believe he is right about everything, dismissive to others who do not agree. His vanity up to this point has not been damaging but what his meeting with Xi has done is simultaneously piss off friends and allies while doing nothing positive to his image at home. Because he will still be young when his term is up he is looking toward a larger role in the European Union, perhaps Ursula's position. However, the members of the EU will not be receptive to a new president who makes decisions without consultation in an imperialistic manner.
Honestly seems like Macron likes the attention as the "elder statesman" of the EU, now that Merkel has exited stage left. I know in Japan the sentiment is similar to Taiwan, in the WTF category.
he assumes America is somehow the pacesetter for the increase in tensions across the Taiwan strait.?? Kidding, right?