At home and abroad, Emmanuel Macron ploughs lonely furrow
2018-11-18 09:47:48 source：The Guardian
November 17, 2018
Emmanuel Macron’s domestic difficulties and plunging approval ratingspresent a sharp contrast with his rising international profile. In a Europe lacking strong leaders ready or able to stand up to hard-right, populist nationalists at home and authoritarian regimes abroad, the French president cuts an exceptional figure. Or, at least, that is how he would prefer to be seen.
As last weekend’s gathering of more than 60 foreign leaders at armistice services and a “peace forum” in Paris showed, Macron – France’s youngest leader since Napoleon – is not without ambition on the world stage. Le Figarosuggested the elaborate ceremonies marked the start of an “intense” French global diplomatic offensive in support of democratic, humanitarian and multilateralist values.
Macron has backed events to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – Human Rights Day is on 10 December – and is preparing to use France’s 2019 presidency of the G7 to advance what he deems a progressive, internationalist agenda. He views May’s EU parliamentary elections as crucial to stemming Europe’s populist tide, and will actively campaign.
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