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France's Africa policy under president Macron: good intentions, partial reform and the fiasco in the Sahel
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Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik -SWP- Deutsches Institut für Internationale Politik und Sicherheit
Abstract Since his election in 2017, President Emmanuel Macron has tried to distance himself from established and widely criticised patterns of France's Africa policy. He diversified relations with Africa in regional and substantive terms, integrated non-state actors and cultivated a comparatively open appro... view more
Since his election in 2017, President Emmanuel Macron has tried to distance himself from established and widely criticised patterns of France's Africa policy. He diversified relations with Africa in regional and substantive terms, integrated non-state actors and cultivated a comparatively open approach to France’s problematic past on the continent. However, Macron's efforts to craft a narrative of change was overshadowed by path dependencies, above all the continuation of the military engagement in the Sahel and incoherent relations with autocratic governments. The involuntary military withdrawal first from Mali (2022), from Burkina Faso (2023) and finally from Niger (announced for late 2023) marks a historic turning point in Franco-African relations. The question is no longer whether relations between France and its former colonies will change; the real question is whether Paris will be able to shape this change or if it will be a mere bystander to a transformation that is largely driven by African actors. (author's abstract)... view less
Keywords
France; foreign policy; international relations; Africa South of the Sahara; Sahel Region; Mali; West Africa; reform policy; political change; economic relations; development policy; culture of remembrance; coming to terms with the past; colonialism
Classification
International Relations, International Politics, Foreign Affairs, Development Policy
Free Keywords
Afrikapolitik; Macron, Emmanuel; Außenpolitisches Programm; Außenpolitische Neuorientierung; Einschätzung/Abschätzung; West African Economic and Monetary Union; CFA-Franc; Entwicklungspolitische Strategie; Erinnerungspolitik
Document language
English
Publication Year
2023
City
Berlin
Page/Pages
6 p.
Series
SWP Comment, 51/2023
DOI
https://doi.org/10.18449/2023C51
ISSN
2747-5107
Status
Published Version; reviewed
Licence
Deposit Licence - No Redistribution, No Modifications