Reading Paper #18: “Emmanuel Macron on Europe’s fragile place in a hostile world”

Allison Brown 4215: European Union Dr. Anderson May 6, 2021 Reading Paper #18: “Emmanuel Macron on Europe’s fragile place in a hostile world” Authors: This article is written by the Paris and Shanghai branches of The Economist Maganzine. Paris is included as an author because of their interview with French President Emanuel Macaron and China because of Macrons interest and diplomatic meetings in the area. Published: This article is published in the Economist, an international weekly newspaper printed in magazineformat and published digitally that focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, and technology. Date: November 2019, this year was a time of political uncertainty in the wake of Brexit and the resignation of Prime Minister Theresa May, with Boris Johnson taking her place as well as socially the burning of the Notre Dame Cathedral that garnered much international attention and the personal attention of President Macaron to rebuild the monument as a memento of French history in the next five years. In France specifically the Yellow Jackets Movement proved to be a troubling public opposition force to Macron and various political issues prove to be a test for Macron who was recently elected to the presidency in May of 2017. Thesis: President Macron is a de-facto (if not the) leader of the European Union given Brexit. He has many ideals about the region’s future and their decisions on security policy and regional integration in recent years. Gist: This article examines French President Macron’s recent statements and opinions on NATO, the EU, integration in the region, and the future of the European continent. This article touches on modern issues in the EU as well as the fundamental question of what the EU ought to be for Europe. Telling Examples: 1) Impact of Brexit/Changing Situations, Macron himself states, “Look at what is happening in the world. Things that were unthinkable five years ago … “To be wearing ourselves out over Brexit, to have Europe finding it so difficult to move forward, to have an American ally turning its back on us so quickly on strategic issues; nobody would have believed this possible.” Europe is on “the edge of a precipice”, he says. “If we don’t wake up...there’s a considerable risk that in the long run we will disappear geopolitically, or at least that we will no longer be in control of our destiny. I believe that very deeply” (3). I found this quote to correlate with Macron’s bigger arguments of Europe being at a turning point to determine their role in the world moving forward and how their relationships with other European states and NATO fit into that picture. 2) Uncertainty from the US and NATO, Macron builds on his ideas mentioned in example one of the US being an uncertain ally at times and NATO experiencing a “brain-death”, “But we find ourselves for the first time with an American president who doesn’t share our idea of the European project … “You have no co-ordination whatsoever of strategic decision-making between the United States and its nato allies. None … But what will Article Five mean tomorrow?” (4) 3) Macron as Europe’s new diplomatic leader, the article states, “...he will be the only ambitious leader of a liberal democracy who is also at the head of a nuclear power, with a military presence that reaches from Europe to the Pacific, a un Security Council seat, strong executive powers and a robust parliamentary majority…” (6). The article continues acknowledging Merkel to the East and other powers in the region, but argues Macron’s energy on a reform for France internationally coupled with other European country’s woes favors his leadership in the upcoming years. Criticism: I really enjoyed this article. It’s recency coupled with the recurring topics of this course made for a great final course reading to consider the future of European Union integration and the region as a whole.