France has provided almost nothing for the defence of Ukraine. USA #1, Germany #2 (though not widely known), UK #3, Denmark a very impressive #4. France is barely troubling the scorers.
Talk is cheap. Especially – correction, always – from Macron.
I suspect this is really about boosting defence export sales – France has taken over from Russia as the #2 world military kit exporter.
Graham Stull
2 months ago
There are very real issues around building an EU Army that need to be addressed, but France’s grandstanding is likely, if anything, to create obstacles to a meaningful, independent defense policy for the EU.
The first obstacle is the internal resistance each country would face from its own armed forced to the idea of a central EU command.
In my view, the way forward would be for smaller-ego EU countries to create a common fighting force and then have France, UK, Germany opt in, on terms already established.
Alex Lekas
2 months ago
what is this insane desire some in the West have for war with Russia? Other than a few very narrowed interests, none of whom would be anywhere near a combat zone, there is no support for that.
Perhaps a little over simplified. It has been clear for some time that Europe, the oldest bloc in the West, can hardly rely upon American taxpayers to provide its defence and still regard itself as an autonomous power. And irrespective of that, American taxpayers are sick of paying for it and are going to stop paying for it any day now, in strategic terms, so it’s not even an abstruse geopolitical debate, it’s a real and immediate problem.
What Macron is doing here is using the very real Ukraine conflict as a means of exposing Europe’s major weakness, hoping to create a sense of urgency around an issue that European policymakers have historically been lazy about, and to concentrate minds on an issue that’s more important than many people like to admit. I say this as one who dislikes Macron myself and cannot stand the political federalism he constantly peddles at the rest of Europe, so please don’t imagine I’m saying this out of some sort of ideological sympathy.
It’s just that he isn’t wrong about quite everything, that’s all.
Whilst I respect your perspective (Macron is.one of the more far-sighted of a very poor crop of European “leaders”), his use of words is unfortunate. This is not a time for loose talk. The world is increasingly twitchy, with multiple hair triggers. Leadership, not exasperation, might serve us all better.
Milton Gibbon
2 months ago
The French haven’t led on European security since before Waterloo. Why do we still look to a third rate power to define the course of European affairs? They have even been kicked out of their ‘near abroad’ in North West Africa with no action from Macron.
This is classic Macron attempting to pivot the focus onto foreign affairs while his country is falling apart around him. He doesn’t even have the ability to do much in his own country other than to pass legislation which is supported by over 75% of lawmakers. He is a laughing stock around Europe.
Actually it’s a classic statesman’s technique whenever there’s domestic strife: start talking up the flag and what that flag means in the rest of the world.
France has provided almost nothing for the defence of Ukraine. USA #1, Germany #2 (though not widely known), UK #3, Denmark a very impressive #4. France is barely troubling the scorers.
Talk is cheap. Especially – correction, always – from Macron.
I suspect this is really about boosting defence export sales – France has taken over from Russia as the #2 world military kit exporter.
There are very real issues around building an EU Army that need to be addressed, but France’s grandstanding is likely, if anything, to create obstacles to a meaningful, independent defense policy for the EU.
The first obstacle is the internal resistance each country would face from its own armed forced to the idea of a central EU command.
In my view, the way forward would be for smaller-ego EU countries to create a common fighting force and then have France, UK, Germany opt in, on terms already established.
what is this insane desire some in the West have for war with Russia? Other than a few very narrowed interests, none of whom would be anywhere near a combat zone, there is no support for that.
Perhaps a little over simplified. It has been clear for some time that Europe, the oldest bloc in the West, can hardly rely upon American taxpayers to provide its defence and still regard itself as an autonomous power. And irrespective of that, American taxpayers are sick of paying for it and are going to stop paying for it any day now, in strategic terms, so it’s not even an abstruse geopolitical debate, it’s a real and immediate problem.
What Macron is doing here is using the very real Ukraine conflict as a means of exposing Europe’s major weakness, hoping to create a sense of urgency around an issue that European policymakers have historically been lazy about, and to concentrate minds on an issue that’s more important than many people like to admit. I say this as one who dislikes Macron myself and cannot stand the political federalism he constantly peddles at the rest of Europe, so please don’t imagine I’m saying this out of some sort of ideological sympathy.
It’s just that he isn’t wrong about quite everything, that’s all.
Whilst I respect your perspective (Macron is.one of the more far-sighted of a very poor crop of European “leaders”), his use of words is unfortunate. This is not a time for loose talk. The world is increasingly twitchy, with multiple hair triggers. Leadership, not exasperation, might serve us all better.
The French haven’t led on European security since before Waterloo. Why do we still look to a third rate power to define the course of European affairs? They have even been kicked out of their ‘near abroad’ in North West Africa with no action from Macron.
This is classic Macron attempting to pivot the focus onto foreign affairs while his country is falling apart around him. He doesn’t even have the ability to do much in his own country other than to pass legislation which is supported by over 75% of lawmakers. He is a laughing stock around Europe.
Actually it’s a classic statesman’s technique whenever there’s domestic strife: start talking up the flag and what that flag means in the rest of the world.
And it is shared by the UK. The country is falling apart…but let’s spend on Ukraine and the military.
There’s a great line from Britten’s opera, Billy Budd, that goes;
‘Can’t stand the French
All that bowing and scraping ..’
Monsieur Macron, le petit coq gallois.
was a joke possibly originating from a disgruntled US about France’s attitude in the past.
France, hopelessly fragmented herself, would stand alone.
Imagine the point scoring opportunities for Islamists also.
There is a significant & growing proportion of Muslim “Russians”.