French President Emmanuel Macron has long called for a stronger and more sovereign Europe, in part by pursuing stronger partnerships with the Global South and reform of the international finance architecture. But those plans won’t be enough if major powers refuse to cooperate or negotiate in good faith with Global South countries.
As part of his tour through four African countries this week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a point of stopping over in Cote d’Ivoire, a country with which both Washington and Paris are seeking to deepen security ties following the collapse of France’s diplomatic relations in other parts of the region.
France and India have for decades developed a strong partnership grounded in strategic affinities and a shared preference for a multipolar international order. Though the U.S. has tended to be rather suspicious of this relationship, it should reconsider its view, as it actually serves Washington’s broader interests.
France is now the latest European country to experience a mass farmers’ protest movement as new climate policies and the agricultural sector collide.