It means the continuation of globalization, the rapid crystallization of Europe as the center of geopolitical power, and an obstacle to the populist takeover of political discourse.
Emmanuel Macron defeated his opponent, Marine Le Pen, on the right, in a replay of the contest in 2017, but with a smaller margin and with fewer voters voting. Macron is a clear favorite among only 18-24-year-olds, with other age groups more evenly divided between him and his far-right rival, who have non-talked about xenophobia in his party’s official documents. He had kept his essential program under wraps. Pause about the rising cost of living and how he contrasts with the reckless, Juperian incumbent of the presidency. The Communist Left’s determination not to give the far-right over the country made its candidate, Jean-Luc Mélanchon, who won an astonishing 22% of the vote in the first round of voting to determine which of the two. Candidates will make it to the race – in the second round, appeals to his voters to defeat Le Pen. This helped the macros.
Two things stand out about Macron as a politician: a steadfast refusal to ignore the complexity of the interdependent world in which his nation has to progress, the belief in the power of dialogue, and the relentless engagement it takes to win the people over those policies. which disturb the status quo but are essential for national renewal. For example, pension and tax reform is important for France, whose half of its GDP flows through the government as state expenditure. He slashed tax rates to make them more business-friendly, to let new companies come in and to incite public anger, making it easier for his opponents to adapt his policies to help his wealthy friends. Designed to hurt people while working hard. But unemployment fell sharply, in particular, youth unemployment; And France today has a far more vigorous start-up sector than it did in the sclerotic past.
Pension reform, which seeks to unify myriad different regimes and raise the retirement age for different categories of workers, is deeply unpopular. Nevertheless, Macron added to his campaign promises, and can be expected to deliver on it in his second term, after his attempt in the first term recently stumbled against the longest transport strike in French history.
After running against the so-called Gillet-Johns (yellow vest) opposition to his high taxes on petro-fuels, especially in the rural area, Macron held a series of townhall meetings across France, in which he debated his case. , and persuaded many voters not only for his honesty but also for the soundness of his policies.
Macron stands for politics that despise populist simplifications of complex problems, and eschews emotional slogans that substitute for elaborate arguments to convince people of the need to make difficult choices in a changing world. This is good for democracy around the world including India.
India and the developing world have benefited from the globalization of the world economy, and are still reaping the benefits. Illiterate workers who are inflexible to upgrade their skills have been lost in a prosperous world, much to the detriment of even their enterprising elite. There has been a backlash against globalization in the prosperous world. Politicians like Trump in America and Le Pen in France take advantage of this restlessness by trying to reverse globalization. Xenophobia and racism fit easily into this agenda, making it hard on immigrants.
Politicians like Macron seek to address the problems caused by globalization, rather than reversing the process, by changing domestic policies and encouraging re-skilling and the creation of new businesses. His re-election is good news in this respect.
Macron is one of Europe’s strongest supporters of developing its strategic capability outside the US-led NATO military alliance. He saw not only Barack Obama’s Asia pivot but also Trump’s ‘America-First’ separatism. Biden’s one-sided timetable for an abrupt withdrawal from Afghanistan sent the message that it was not the nature of Trumpian or Republican policy to prioritize America’s Europe. It takes courage and clarity of vision to read that message properly. Macron showed both.
The Ukraine war has reunited America with Europe. But how long this would last after the war ended is controversial. Europe already has a geolocation system, the Galileo system of satellites, which removes a level of strategic dependence on the US and its GPS satellites. Germany is now committed to spending 2% of its GDP on defence, and is shedding its post-war defense on military strength. With Europe’s nations strengthening their own defense capability, it is not unthinkable that Europe would have its own security forces and security strategies outside NATO.
A unipolar world is good for America, but not for any other country. A dichotomous world gives some room for maneuver, but not for India when the other pole is China, with its many dragon legs tending to wander into Indian territory. India will be forced to follow the American line to secure its help compared to China. India needs a multipolar world. A strong Russia is useful in this regard. A European geopolitical powerhouse, apart from the US, China and Russia, would make it easier for India to fully emerge as a power in its own right.
Macro French and globalization is good for a multipolar world. Raise a glass of authentic champagne, not an old bubbly!