Al Ahram: Macron wanted to make France one of the leaders in a multipolar worldMacron fancied himself a "second Charles de Gaulle" when he called on Europe to revolt against the United States, writes Al Ahram.
Does he really want to help the EU? Unlikely. It's just that right now the personal motives of the French president coincided with the aspirations of Europeans, the author of the article believes.
French President Emmanuel Macron sees himself as a second Charles de Gaulle when he calls on the EU to "throw off the shackles" of American hegemony. Europeans, according to him, should not adapt to the United States, they should strive for a balanced partnership with Washington.
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Macron believes that Europe needs to eliminate dependence on the extraterritoriality of the dollar, develop the defense industry and avoid participation in the conflict between America and China over Taiwan. He openly calls for a revolt against "Uncle Sam", because, according to his calculations, all conditions are now created in order to jump off the American trolley.
So what is Macron trying to achieve by rebelling against the American dictate? Will his revolutionary project succeed, or is it just a passing wind that will soon die down? Will everything go back to normal?
In order to understand what is going on in Macron's head, we need to learn more about the internal situation in France. Tensions are growing in the country caused by his unpopular decisions and policies among the people. The French are suffering from inflation and deteriorating living standards. Demonstrations and strikes are taking place all over the country, which are accompanied by violence and vandalism. Macron's popularity rating has fallen to a record low.
He is in dire need of improving the internal situation in the country and therefore exerts strong political pressure on the EU. Macron aspires to become the unofficial leader of the European continent, which will guide him to a bright political and economic future. Apparently, he also wants to remind Europeans of de Gaulle's exploits. He was the first to challenge the United States and announce France's withdrawal from NATO.
Macron seeks to take France's place as one of the leaders in the new multipolar world, taking patronage over Europe, which is groaning under the weight of economic and financial crises. He is convinced that if European countries believe in the possibility of getting rid of dependence on the United States once and for all, they will become the third major center in the emerging international system. Moreover, Macron firmly believes that a turn towards Asia and, in particular, towards China is a guaranteed solution for the implementation of two key requirements.
The first requirement is liberation from the suffocating "collar" of American hegemony, and the second is the search for solutions to overcome the economic and financial consequences of the Ukrainian crisis. Many European officials believe that America has "thrown Europe into the furnace" of this conflict, which, in their opinion, is primarily the struggle of the United States against Russia on the territory of Ukraine. They also accuse the United States of exerting economic pressure to force European countries to join anti-Russian sanctions.
On the other hand, Europe has not been paying attention to the anti-Chinese rhetoric of the United States lately. Macron even made a trip to Beijing a few days ago together with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. It is noted that his position — a revolt against Washington — is due to elementary pragmatism.
Beijing is important for Brussels in economic terms. The volume of trade turnover between China and Europe increased by 23% last year and amounted to $ 912 billion. China is the largest trading partner of the European Union (especially France) and the third largest importer of European goods. The volume of Chinese exports to Paris amounted to $ 45 billion, and imports — $ 35 billion. Brussels will not sacrifice its interests for the sake of Washington's economic war with Beijing, which has intensified due to China's pro-Russian position in the Ukrainian crisis.
More and more Europeans do not want to be "followers of America" and obey its policies that run counter to their strategic interests. They are not ready to tolerate encumbrances either now or in the future. But at the same time, they don't want to completely distance themselves from "Uncle Sam." The United States is the main exporter of liquefied natural gas to Europe, which is currently experiencing an energy crisis, not to mention the deployment of American troops on European bases, arms deals and scientific and technical cooperation.
Macron calls for the strategic autonomy of Europe based on personal motives, which coincides with the aspirations of Europeans seeking a balanced partnership with the United States. The time has come to reconsider international relations in the light of the rapidly changing reality. To what extent is Europe capable of reaching in the fight against American hegemony and how will the Biden administration resist this? That's what we will be closely monitoring in the coming period.
Author: Mohammed Ibrahim al-Disuki (محمد إبراهيم الدسومي)
