The hostile new world French President Emmanuel Macron has been warning Europeans about is rapidly emerging, but Macron is still struggling to persuade partners to trust his judgment.
Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel over the weekend was more grim evidence that Macron’s diagnosis of the security challenges facing the European Union is on point. The French were part of the mission that successfully downed most of the incoming drones, underlining their key role in the bloc’s military strategy.
The fundamental problem for Macron is that so far he hasn’t managed to energize either France’s voters or its economic and military might behind his approach, and so is struggling to back up his rhetoric with hard power commensurate to the threats they face. Adding to that is a preference for high-risk gambits that’s unnerving his most important stakeholders both at home and abroad.