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Opinion | How the Wagner revolt set back Macron’s vision of a strategically autonomous Europe
- In a recent interview, the French president talked up the need for Europe to take a more independent approach to global issues
- However, the Wagner mutiny in Russia has amplified the message that aligning with the US and standing firmly behind Ukraine is crucial
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French President Emmanuel Macron is banging the drum again for European autonomy, less than three months after he made similar comments following his trip to Beijing. The reaction to those remarks highlighted divisions in the European Union over its China policy and suggested cracks in the US-EU alliance amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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“For me, it’s very important to have a much more autonomous Europe and European Union. Why? Because it’s useful for the global order. I think it’s useful even for the US. It’s useful to have a more powerful Europe being in capacity to fix conflicts at its border,” Macron told CNN in Paris last week.
The optics and tone of the interview, which some see as Macron’s policy statement on key issues, reflect a distinct contour emerging among European leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who has also shown an eagerness to chart a rather more independent approach for his country on global issues. These leaders see the multipolarisation of the world as a new reality that cannot be denied or ignored.
They also advocate for Europe’s role as a pole in this multipolar world. They assert the imperative of Europe maintaining an autonomous stance to safeguard its interests rather than succumbing to the whims and dictates of external forces. This emerging perspective heralds a shift in European politics, one in which leaders such as Macron, Scholz, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and European Council President Charles Michel could take centre stage.
This cluster of leaders, while still small, offers the continent a fresh direction – embracing multipolarity while asserting Europe’s independence in shaping its destiny.
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Macron has been advocating the notion of EU strategic autonomy for years, positioning it as the third superpower alongside the United States and China. His persistent endorsement of an autonomous EU resonates with an evolving thinking – both in Europe and elsewhere – that the West should desist from automatically viewing global issues through Washington’s lens.
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