Algeria was built on “a memorial rent” which is based on “a discourse which is based on a hatred of France”, it is necessary “that the State returns” to Mali … So much for the latest assertions to date Emmanuel Macron, already involved diplomatically in a crisis with the United States, after the cancellation of a military contract by Australia.
Controversial outings, which offended the countries concerned and which a few months before the presidential election can sound like blunders … But are they really and can they harm him?
A necessarily presidential stature
“Among the characteristics of a president, international credibility is an important attribute,” said Florent Parmentier, professor at Sciences Po and secretary general of Cevipof, interviewed by 20 minutes. Outgoing president, Emmanuel Macron can play this card more than his opponents during the campaign. “His word is struck from the corner of experience, he shows that he is in business”, underlines Alexandre Eyries *, teacher-researcher in information and communication sciences at the University of Burgundy. “It shows that it exercises its presidency in order to protect the French”, adds Philippe Maarek, professor at Upec.
His reaction to Mali in particular recalls his position as Head of State watching over his fellow citizens. The French president had described as “shame” the accusations of “abandonment in full flight” of Mali by France brought by the transitional Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maïga to the UN platform. “The declarations of the Malian Prime Minister, who calls for the intervention of Russia, are made almost the same day as the homage to Maxime Blasco, French soldier killed in Mali”, underlines Florent Parmentier. Impossible to pass up that for the president in office… and in campaign.
A firmness that can appeal to the right
Because that is what it is also about: attracting voters. And in particular those on the right of the political spectrum. “He cannot risk giving answers that would make him lose points in the polls, especially on immigration and terrorism,” notes Philippe Maarek. Florent Parmentier makes the same calculation: “The political offer on the left is divided and currently represents 26% of the electorate. If we combine the different lines, they offer a much larger reservoir of voices. ”
This is particularly why Emmanuel Macron tackles the subject of the memory of the Algerian war. While he held “a very different speech in Algiers, saying that colonization is a crime against humanity,” recalls Florent Parmentier, his presidency was marked by a desire to appease memories and turn the page, notably through the work of the Stora commission. The recent deterioration in relations with Algeria, which can be explained in part by the reduction in the number of visas granted, still in a logic of speaking to the right-wing electorate, marks a striking about-face.
A European vision of diplomacy
However, Emmanuel Macron does not just “get angry” with others. And if his quarrels with the Malian Prime Minister or Joe Biden are added to those with Jair Bolsonaro or Erdogan going back a little further in time, “we are in the process of signing
with Italy a treaty that would be of the same order as
the one with Germany in 1963, very constructive ”, where relations were disastrous in 2019, indicates Florent Parmentier. The French president is trying to assert himself as a European leader in foreign policy. On the submarine crisis, we thus go from a partner “mistreated by an ally” to “sharing with the European Union the idea that we cannot let this go” and to the will to act jointly, for example. example within NATO.
On the Afghan crisis, Emmanuel Macron spoke of “the need for Europe to avoid new waves of migration”. A declaration at the crossroads between his attempts at seduction on the right and his idea of Europe. “It is the strategy of” and at the same time “which starts again,” smiles Alexandre Eyries. Philippe Maarek finishes moderating the idea of a diplomatic divorce with certain countries: “It’s the classic good cop – bad cop. We have also seen Erdogan or Boris Johnson be very violent and then let their Minister of Foreign Affairs put the pieces back together, ”as Jean-Yves Le Drian did with Antony Blinken. Unless he does it himself. Emmanuel Macron finally met Antony Blinken in Paris, and will take advantage of the G20, which is to take place in Rome at the end of October, to speak with Joe Biden.
* Alexandre Eyries is the author of Political communication 3.0 (University of Dijon ed.) And Anthropolitweet (Ed. ISTE of London).