By F. Andrew Wolf, Jr. ——Bio and Archives--July 6, 2024

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The desire of privilege and the taste of equality are the dominant and contradictory passions of the French of all times. – Charles de Gaulle

Baguettes, croissants, the Eiffel Tower, a “welfare system to die for,” vin et fromage à l'infini – cliches are built on degrees of truth, but you can't live on them–forever. There is no substitute for reality, and the French need a taste of it.

Intoxicated by years of domestic and foreign policy success, Kierkegaard’s angst now grips the French elite; France under their tutelage is not faring well. And the person in the Elysee Palace? The French president is displaying his insecurity for all to see–he is desperate to regain his image and what has been lost or taken from France under his watch–influence, respect and an inability to extricate themselves from the penumbra of US hegemony. Here is a recent headline from Breitbart describing the president's behavior:

“Italy Blasts ‘Desperate’ Macron for ‘Dangerous’ Rhetoric on Russian-Ukraine War.”

The same article goes on to say how Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the populist League party, Matteo Salvini, wrote on social media: “Sending Italian soldiers to fight outside the EU borders? Follow the obsessions of some dangerous and desperate European leader like Macron? No thanks, never in the name of the League.”

The French Republic today, and not just because of its current “exercised” president, is in a somewhat difficult position compared to “yester-year.” France is a nation with a formidable nuclear arsenal, yet it has lost its capacity to influence its geopolitical landscape. Over the last few decades, Paris' former greatness has slipped from its grasp in the world of geopolitical affairs. It has, within the European Union, ceded to Germany its leading position – economically and politically. In fact it........

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