French President Emmanuel Macron has been vocal about the strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific for France and Europe, positioning Paris as a pivotal player in a region central to global geopolitics. Yet, as France seeks to expand its influence in this vast and contested theater, the unresolved crisis in New Caledonia (NC) — a French overseas territory in the Pacific — casts a long shadow over its aspirations.

The ongoing push for sovereignty in New Caledonia, coupled with a forthcoming summit hosted by France to address the territory’s future, reveals a tension: Paris’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific are increasingly at odds with both its neocolonial legacy and the broader objectives of the West, particularly NATO. This dissonance exposes fissures within the Western alliance, as France pursues a distinct path that does not always align with the bloc’s agenda.

In any case, France’s Indo-Pacific strategy is not a novel endeavor but an extension of its historical presence in the region, rooted in colonial-era possessions like NC itself. Macron’s vision — bolstered by developments like the 2050 Initiative with Indonesia and the energy-focused diplomacy with the UAE — seeks to project France as a kind of a balancing power in a region dominated by US-China rivalry. France’s planned naval deployments alongside the UK and Italy in the Indo-Pacific further underscore this ambition.

These moves clearly are not without complications. The crisis in New Caledonia, where indigenous Kanak demands for independence have clashed with French control, reveals Paris as an increasingly assertive........

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