Macron's Troubling Remarks in South Korea Against the U.S.

Posted by:

By Nick Arama

France is recognized as our oldest ally, with an alliance dating back to the Revolutionary War. But they seem to be doing all they can to tank that relationship right now. 

We previously reported how they aligned with Russia and China to block a United Nations Security Council resolution authorizing all means necessary to secure safe shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. They were upset that it could involve force. The French President Emmanuel Macron spoke out against the use of military force to help clear the Strait, calling it "unrealistic." 

Then, after they did that, we found out that a French-owned ship had made it through the Strait the same day, the first Western-connected ship to use the "Iran-approved" route running between the Qeshm and Larak islands. What a coincidence. 

But Macron truly topped it off during remarks in South Korea, where, in the words of Bloomberg, he urged allies to "unite against the U.S."

French President Emmanuel Macron is calling on medium-sized powers to join forces and stand up to the US and China.

Macron hammered the message during his tour of Asia this week, where he discussed maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz and closer cooperation with South Korea and Japan — two countries badly suffering from high energy costs as the war in Iran keeps the strait closed.

“Our objective is not to be the vassals of two hegemonic powers,” he told students in Seoul. “We don’t want to depend on the dominance, let’s say on China, or we don’t want to be too much exposed to the unpredictability of the US.”

He claimed they had a shared agenda and mentioned other countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, and India. 

Is he kidding? He's in South Korea, which has been dependent on us to protect it from North Korea for decades. He's talking about Japan, which just aligned itself even more to the U.S. and President Donald Trump via a trade deal they signed with us last month. The Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Trump already have a good friendship. 

Why would any of these countries think they could rely on France when it shows that it's not reliable for allowing an ally to simply fly over France's airspace? And who aligns with Russia and China to block an effort against a terrorist regime? He just took out a big ad against his pitch with those actions. While France has a lot of defense capability, it's also not the United States. Macron is living in a fantasy world.

Yes, you don't want to get bogged down in a never-ending war. But you also don't always want to fold like a cheap camera, like France, never standing up and kowtowing to terrorists. Now Iran may have just demonstrated, in addition to the nuclear threat, that they have missiles that could potentially hit European capitals with its attack against Diego Garcia. They're also hitting their Gulf neighbors. But Emmanuel doesn't think that's enough of a threat to just let us fly over France to address it. 

Now, for those who want to suggest that this attitude from France is just a reaction back to President Donald Trump, yes, Trump has held the NATO allies to account to get them to pony up their fair share into the defense alliance to protect themselves. But Trump had to do that because for years the Europeans ran over us, and prior presidents let it happen. He also had to scold Europeans not to continue to buy Russian oil if we were providing them defense from the Russians. 

But this attitude from France about the U.S. didn't start now under Trump. It was also happening under Joe Biden. 

Macron, who oversees the European Union’s sole nuclear power and its most powerful defense industry, has long been calling for Europe to counterbalance the US and China. During a trip to China in 2023, he sparked outrage among US allies in Asia and Europe when he said the EU should not be a “vassal” of the US. He warned against being drawn into a Taiwan conflict, at a time when China was conducting a drill around the self-ruling island, which Beijing claims as its own.

That was a bad signal to send to the Chinese that France wouldn't be there if needed, if Taiwan were invaded, and again, a weaselly move for an ally.

We do have interests in having bases in Europe. But we need to evaluate the relationships we have with allies like this. We need to have allies we can rely on, or hedge our bets with other alternatives. 

Editor's Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.

Original Here

Join the Conversation!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
We have a wonderful, active, and engaged community. Come join us in the comments section below! You'll need a Hyvor account (100% free) if you don't already have one. 
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
× Are you enjoying Tex's Place? Please consider making a contribution. Even $5, $10 or $20 goes a long way to keeping us online, and advertisement free. You can contribute by CLICKING HERE