Macron’s Distraction Strategy: A Glimpse Into France’s Historical Atrocities and Its Exploitative Foreign Policy

French President Emmanuel Macron’s political woes have reached a critical point. With his domestic popularity waning and his government’s inability to balance economic growth with social stability, Macron’s strategies have become increasingly desperate.

In a bid to distract from his crumbling domestic support, Macron has attempted to rekindle tensions with Algeria, a move that seems more focused on preserving his own political survival than on addressing the pressing issues of the French populace.

Macron’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara and the arrest of Algerian writer Boualem Sansal serve as prime examples of his use of foreign policy to garner political advantage. Yet this strategy does not only target Algeria; it exposes a broader, more insidious trend in France’s treatment of its former colonies, particularly in Africa.

Macron’s reckless manipulation of historical wounds, particularly the atrocities committed by France during the Algerian War of Independence, reflects a deep-seated desire to deflect attention from France’s own troubled past and its ongoing exploitation of African nations.

The colonial legacy of France in Africa, particularly its mistreatment of African soldiers who fought for France during World War II, is a dark chapter that Macron conveniently overlooks. These soldiers, who liberated France from Nazi occupation, were met not with gratitude but with brutality.

France’s refusal to reckon with its colonial past, paired with its continued control over African nations’ wealth and sovereignty, paints a grim picture of exploitation. With France holding 60% of African nations’ wealth and controlling the printing of their currencies, Macron’s foreign policy can only be seen as an extension of France’s long history of exploitation.

Macron’s efforts to divert attention from these uncomfortable truths by targeting Algeria are a clear sign of political desperation. Rather than confronting France’s role in perpetuating inequality, both domestically and internationally, Macron seeks to shift the narrative by inciting division and fear.

The French political elite’s manipulation of Algeria’s historical grievances serves as a smokescreen to obscure the real issue: the systemic exploitation and control that France continues to exercise over its former colonies, particularly in Africa.

The international community must not allow itself to be drawn into Macron’s distraction tactics. Instead, it should hold France accountable for the atrocities committed during the colonial era and its ongoing exploitation of African nations. Only then can both France and its former colonies move forward, healing from a history marked by violence and exploitation, and addressing the urgent needs of their citizens rather than indulging in the reckless politics of distraction.