Macron and the Fall of France

It had been over twenty years since I had been in Paris when I visited again in July of 2018. The contrast between my memory of the city and the current reality was astonishing. Instead of resembling a European center of culture, fine food, and fashion, it seemed as if I were in a third-world country in North Africa. It could have passed for a former French colony, since I did see some French signs, but not that many French people. Many buildings and the subway system were in a state of decay, sanitation was poor, and homelessness seemed to be rampant. Some French people I did see were the occasional groups of four or five armed soldiers on patrol. When I was in the Louvre Museum, after going through a security check that you might expect at a major airport, an unaccompanied backpack was spotted on the floor in a large open area against a wall. A few soldiers along with a man in civilian clothing walked over to the backpack and talked with concerned looks on their faces. I was watching from about 20 or 30 feet away. The man in civilian clothes walked over to me and asked me if it was mine. Right after I told him that it wasn't, another man walked over and claimed it without incident.

The demographic and cultural transformation of France has been one of the main issues of concern for the yellow vest protesters who started demonstrating in November over a gas tax hike in the most heavily taxed nation in Europe. They have been supported by 80% of the French people. While 80% also believe that immigration should be stopped or much more strongly controlled, President Emmanuel Macron has chosen to ignore the views of the people he was elected to represent and has turned out to be one of Europe's strongest proponents of mass migration from the Third World. The increase in violent crime and terrorism and the huge public expense incurred in providing state benefits to migrants does not seem to be of any great concern to him. In an interview conducted in April 2018, Macron stated that due to explosive third-world population growth, Europe will be entering an age of unprecedented mass migration from Africa and that the people of the two continents have a shared destiny. He was referring to an estimate that within the next few decades, the number of Africans living in Europe will increase from nine million to as many as 200 million. The continent of Africa is larger than the U.S., China, Japan, India, and most of Europe combined and is rich in valuable natural resources. A more rational leader might have mentioned that, along with how the people should stay home and work on improving their own nations. After the mass migration mess of the last few years, which flooded Europe with approximately 3 million mostly male economic migrants from third-world countries in the Middle East and Africa, resources are being stretched to the limit as Europeans deal with more violent crime and terrorism. An additional 200 million could make that look like a relaxing Sunday afternoon picnic in the park. And last month, Macron sent a representative to Marrakesh, Morocco to sign the U.N. Migration Pact, which aims to facilitate the regular movement of people from the Third World to developed countries. He did this over the objections of the yellow vest protesters as well as a group of retired generals who stated in a published letter that signing the pact would be treasonous. While most U.N. members did sign the pact, a number of nations also objected and did not sign, including the U.S., Japan, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Italy, the Czech Republic, Israel, Chile, and Australia. The migration issue has also caused serious strains among nations of the E.U. as pro-migration Macron and German chancellor Angela Merkel, who share similar views, have been at odds with counterparts such as Hungarian leader Victor Orbán and Italian deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini, who have stressed the importance of protecting Europe's borders. On November 11, 2018 in Paris at a ceremony commemorating the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, Macron gave a speech in which he criticized nationalism, calling it the opposite of patriotism. This was obviously meant for some of the world leaders in attendance who have expressed nationalist views. It was implied that nationalism caused the war and that its resurgence will result in new conflicts. However, this claim is a misleading attempt to further a globalist agenda. The political philosopher Yoram Hazony has convincingly argued that the assertion that nationalism caused the two world wars is simplistic. The anti-nationalist rhetoric is in reality part of an ideological conflict over the political organization of the world. Nationalism calls for the world to be organized around sovereign nation-states that each take into account the unique characteristics, culture, and needs of their people while respecting the sovereignty of other nation-states. Globalists oppose nationalism because they believe that nation-states should be subject to laws imposed by international organizations, gradually giving up their rights as sovereign nations, and ultimately wither away to fall under one-world government. Each side in this ideological conflict believes that following its own views will result in more stability, peace, and prosperity. Macron once said that there is no such thing as French culture. It was ridiculous to say such a thing, but culture is part of national identity. To flood your nation with millions of economic migrants from the Third World is certainly a way to alter culture and national identity. I don't believe that Macron is a stupid man. He must occasionally look out a window and see what is happening in Paris. Maybe he believes that accepting millions of migrants in Europe will help bring the world closer to a globalist utopia, and that the people who will suffer the consequences before we get there are just collateral damage. However, the yellow vest protests continue all over France, with over 80,000 participating last Saturday, and Macron's approval rating has hit as low as 18%. Macron's days as president of France may be numbered, but the direction France will then go remains to be seen. I hope Macron's globalist dream will not become Europe's nightmare. Photo credit: Pelle De Brabander.