Macron not just created history by winning French presidency, but also proved to be a flicker of hope at a time when Right is sweeping across the globe.
Adam Plowright’s meticulously researched biography of French President Emmanuel Macron, France’s youngest Head of State since Napoleon, comes as a timely reminder of the high stakes for the EU to establish its global leadership at a time when the Trump Presidency and USA is retreating from international politics. It is a fascinating narrative of a new leader of the free world who on Sunday, 7th May, 2017, changed the world forever. Macron’s victory marked a watershed moment in the high stakes battle over liberal internationalism, a war that has moved to France, the cradle of the Enlightenment and of the Western political order established after the Second World War.
Written in a lucid style, the biography is highly informative and the ‘French Exception’ also demonstrates that despite Brexit, UK’s perspective on the EU and France remains an essential element in understanding Europe itself.
Adam Plowright, a Paris-based British journalist, not just provides the inside story of Macron’s sudden rise to power but also raises some vital questions about the French President himself, such as, ‘Is Macron an accidental politician?’ Till two years ago, the so-called ‘mafia’ (king-makers of French politics) were of the view that the sum total of Macron’s future was the possibility that he might become the mayor of a large city. To his patrons, the time frame till 2022 seemed to be the shortest span to run for the Presidency.
While explaining the personal life and politics of the French President, the biography also sheds some light on some important issues like—what is his vision for the future? How is he perceived inside France, within the EU and by France’s allies and strategic partners including India?
Through this biography, the reader is able to come to a better understanding of Macron and his strange and unconventional personal life. He was born in Amiens, a town dominated by its Gothic Cathedral and its conservative values and both his parents were practicing physicians.
Macron did not stay long in his hometown. He left for Paris at the tender age of 16, after having already begun an affair with his drama teacher, Brigitte, who was 24 years older than him, and is now France’s First Lady. He reportedly fell for Brigitte during rehearsals for a school play at the Providence High School in Amiens and despite strong disapproval of his parents continued the relationship even after leaving Amiens.
He may have been influenced by his mentor, the philosopher Paul Ricoeur, who was in his 80s when Macron met him. His ability to win over the old has often been commented upon negatively. Many note that some of his most prominent supporters are much older than him (he has just turned 40) and are now in their seventies. No doubt for this reason, some of his critics point out that he specialises in ‘seducing’ the old!
Plowright notes the many similarities that Macron has with former British prime minister Tony Blair. This includes a love of acting, since Macron was an enthusiastic teenage actor. Like Blair, he enjoyed a meteoric rise in his career; particularly when he embarked on his political life. He was appointed a Minister in his mid-thirties by former President Hollande, without ever having held elected office. To the amazement of Hollande, he suddenly quit and formed a new movement ‘En Marche!’
At the age of 39, the youngest ever president of France, he gambled once again and won. Crucial legislative elections gave him a commanding majority in the National Assembly. Was this chance or the strategy of a born leader, who knows instinctively how to gamble and win? Macron took risks when others hesitated. He has been so successful that it is easy to forget the odds against which he gambled. In an Indian context, it could be said that it was his destiny.
Plowright weaves many other personality traits into the biography. Macron is a romantic and strongly attached to France’s cultural and traditions. Having won the election, he commemorated his victory as only Napoleon would have done. A solitary figure, he walked alone across the courtyard of the Louvre to the sound of Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’.
Another side of Macron is a shrewd political survivor, who brooks no opposition. His decision to change the head of the French armed forces, quite early on in his Presidency, was a well calculated risk. Similarly, while hoping to salvage the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Trans-Atlantic Agreement, he tried to cynically win over Donald Trump through flattery. He reportedly has a better relationship with Trump than any of his European counterparts.
Plowright has referred to many other challenging issues, such as, Euro zone crisis, Brexit and North Korea where Macron will be playing a crucial role. It remains yet to be seen, however, whether he would succeed in having greater integration within the EU, one of his cherished dreams.
Ultimately, Plowright’s book reveals the contradictions of contemporary France, its dialectical relationship between liberalism, rejection of globalisation and its place in Europe and the rest of the world. The book presents an important addition to the contemporary political narratives relating to France, Europe and international geo-politics.
Macron and ‘En Marche’ showed the rest of the Europe and the world that it can favour youth and a new generation, over age and entrenched values, and optimism over foreboding and insularity. France demonstrated that in an age of populism and anti-globalisation, it is possible to reverse the tide. Pro-European liberalism could still triumph over nationalism and divisive right-wing demagoguery. The book gives hope that the European dream and its liberal values will continue in a continent and in a country that brought democracy and rule of law to the world.
Ambassador Bhaswati Mukherjee is a former IFS officer who served in France. The book ‘The French Exception by Adam Plowright’ has been published by Icon books.
Extremely well analysed & expressed by Ms Mukherjee.