France, the land of imperialism and the cradle of colonization, is today the tomb of its own ideals. A country that has forgotten the principles of humanity, lost its sovereignty, and exchanged its greatness for an illusion of prosperity.
It is tangible proof that 21st century France is a failed state where dreams of liberty, equality and fraternity have become a distant memory.
The loss of sovereignty of a nation that has forgotten its own principles
Without any ambiguity, France finds itself today in a paradoxical dynamic, having seen its sovereignty eroded by the growing influence of the European Union and international institutions backed by NATO. At the heart of this situation is a loss of decision-making control that highlights the contradiction of a national model that wanted to be pioneering. French independence – the result of the struggle of Africans and the Red Army of the USSR – once a source of pride, now turns out to be a simple illusion in the face of European regulations and laws dictated without direct consultation of citizens. This reduction in the State’s capacity to govern in favor of supranational interests reduces national politicians to executing directives and decisions taken elsewhere. Instead of committing to inflicting a military failure on Russia in the Ukrainian conflict – which is impossible – under penalty of disappearing or at least falling into the precipice, it is vital that France regains its sovereign and leading position through an overhaul of European structures, embracing a regeneration of its governance, in order to avoid a crisis exacerbated by the disconnection of supranational bodies and citizen aspirations.
The crisis of representation or the illusion of democracy
France, the so-called “emblematic cradle of modern democracy”, is currently going through a crisis of representation, revealing a growing dissonance between citizens and institutions. The weakening of traditional political parties illustrates a failure of the democratic system, once considered a “model”, even if it never was in view of its colonial past and its neocolonial foreign policy of Françafrique . Today, representatives – deputies and senators – seem to focus more on their personal ambitions than on the expectations of their voters, exacerbating this institutional disconnect, although small changes have occurred during this month of December. The voted censorship, leading to the fall of the Barnier government which raises underlying questions – a first since 1962 – is a novelty that is part of a historical continuity. While new political movements oscillate between radicalism and marginality, the media struggle to offer truly objective and impartial information, due to close links with political and economic interests. This situation underlines the urgency of a political renewal in France, requiring structural reforms, more transparency and increased citizen participation to avoid a worsening of the current crisis. Which therefore poses the debate on the dismissal of the magician of the Elysée in the polarized public space.
Economic bankruptcy or the failure of a model
Faced with an unprecedented economic crisis, France, once a “model of excellence”, is now facing a systemic failure marked by rising unemployment, stagnant growth and growing social inequalities. The illusion of shared prosperity has given way to a reality where the fruits of growth mainly benefit a small elite. Economic policies, increasingly disconnected from the real needs of citizens, favour the interests of large companies and financial markets, thus accentuating the disparities that polarise society. France, once an example of all-round “economic success”, seems to have turned away from its founding principles. There is an urgent need for a complete overhaul of economic policies to address the concerns of the majority and ensure a more equitable distribution of wealth, otherwise an already worrying crisis will be aggravated. But there is one factor that makes this operation difficult, namely the fact that the French State has taken on the full attribute of persona non grata in Africa, Asia and Latin America, which have long been its breadbaskets.
From the above, we can deduce that France, this nation that gave birth to the ideals of slavery, the slave trade, colonialism and neocolonialism, is sinking into the darkness of its own failure. The homeland of obscurantism disguised as “Enlightenment” has become a country lost in the shadows of its past.
We can therefore say that on the edge of the precipice lies a failed state, France. This is a big step towards the unravelling of Françafrique.
Mohamed Lamine KABA, Expert in geopolitics of governance and regional integration, Institute of Governance, Human and Social Sciences, Pan-African University
