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Macron in this interview demonstrates again his intellectual firepower. One could call his approach geo-philosophical. https://twitter.com/GEG_org/status/1328154302259539970
In more narrow geopolitical terms, he insists on European sovereignty and Europe as a bloc or pole ("to prevent the Chinese-American duopoly").
Macron's geographical focus is the South: "we (Europeans) have a different worldview (than the US), which is connected with Africa, the Near and Middle East". He talks a lot about Africa in this interview.
With regard to the US, Macron insists that "our values are not quite the same".
Independence from the US is a priority: "Our neighbourhood policy with Africa, with the Near and Middle East, with Russia, is not a neighbourhood policy for the USA. It is therefore not tenable that our international policy should be dependent on it or be trailing behind it."
While Africa plays a major role, China and Russia figure far less prominently in "the Macron doctrine": Africa is mentioned 44 times, China 9, Russia 8 times.
There is also little on globalisation and digitalisation. The question of Europe's economic competitiveness doesn't come up. Macron looks at global order less from the economic and more from the political perspective, with sovereignty as the key category.
While many in Europe agree with parts of Macron's diagnosis and his therapy, and admire his intellectual depth, his overall vision remains quite controversial in Europe. Geopolitical interests and views in many European capitals don't align with the view of the French president.
A more inclusive vision for Europe must have a constructive transatlantic dimension, include a robust Russia strategy, it must re-assert global openness and the will to compete with China on a broad range of issues.
