The Macron Idea And The Emergent European Community
The ideas of European unity and independence have historically been interconnected. Since the time of Charlemagne when both France and Germany operated under the same political regime, the tendency of large European states to predicate their legitimacy on the security unity provides is a common feature of continental diplomacy. Absolute rulers of the medieval era in the line of the Holy Roman Emperors and the Popes shared in the tendency of enlightened despots to reflect on the fact that the methods of great power politics seemed the only viable way of binding the European continent together. Whereas many geopolitical thinkers have gone so far as to consider the European landmass an essentially interdependent region of states forming a broader European society, it is true that many political and social ambitions throughout modern history have allowed movements to rally support behind the cause of a European unity.
In the wake of the destruction wrought by the Second World War, Europe found itself divided between East and West along the ideological lines that would facilitate the Cold War split. Despite a clear commitment to standing with the Anglosphere in this period, western continental Europe also began to reconstitute a sense of political independence and concern itself with the future of the European community. Despite the previous efforts to unite Europe under a political or religious banner, the post-war West established mutual connection based on economic partnership – codified in the 1957 treaty of Rome which established the European Economic Community. This partnership between Germany, France, Italy, and the various smaller surrounding countries was the first step on a path toward the political integration wrought by the European Union. By the time of the early 2000s, the EU admitted Poland, Lithuania, and other central and eastern European states whose political alienation from the West under Soviet occupation ceased over a decade prior.
With a brief sketch of the political history of the contemporary European Community, one can much better appreciate the unique role the continent plays in the context of global affairs in our uncertain time. Despite being heavily associated with America as a consequence of its general membership in NATO, the states of Europe are now organized in a pan-European body with a distinct vision for their own future. Recent developments in the 2015 European Migrant Crisis, and the onset of the Russo-Ukrainian escalation in 2022, have highlighted both the enduring political relevance of Europe, as well as its critical need for sound leadership amidst a divided world. Irrespective of whatever lofty visions European and American leaders alike have for the world order over the course of the next half-century, the trajectory of the status quo has been assessed by statesmen and thought leaders alike as particularly unstable in the face of an emerging multipolar world. As the economic, ideological, and diplomatic relationships between the European-Anglosphere and BRICS powers grow deeper and more alienating, globally-minded states must invest in their ability to provide for the well-being of their citizenry while still maintaining a sensible international outlook.
The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, has interestingly enough taken the lead in advocating for a more autonomous and interconnected Europe. A controversial leader within France, Macron has become one of the greatest advocates for the European Union and the shared institutions by which European states can present themselves as a unity to the global community. Over this past summer, Macron visited China for a meeting with its premier Xi Jinping as part of a diplomatic summit. What surprised many in Europe and America were Macron's remarks upon returning to France that Europe had to avoid becoming a “vassal” of the United States in the event of a Chinese-American confrontation over the Taiwan question. By proceeding to comment on what he viewed as the necessary vision Europe must-have for the 21st century amid unprecedented globalization and polarization, Macron outlined a brief but critical perspective on a new political dynamic between a united but independent Europe and the United States. With Europe eager to have American security guarantees in the wake of the Ukraine conflict, but likewise reluctant to end up committed in international crises where its immediate interests are not involved, the fate of Europe over the following decades will be determined in large part by the extent to which it balances its geopolitical interest with those of America.
It is also crucial for America to ensure it protects its own national interests in the face of European desires to receive security guarantees, provided that Macron's vision of a European state with greater autonomy distances itself gradually from Washington. Global diplomacy should be reflexive, meaning that should Europe seek continued mutual partnership with the United States but not direct and unilateral friendship, America should pursue the same policy – lest either diplomatic agent create an imbalance in the dependency of one side on the other. For the first time in the modern world, the powers of France, Iberia, Germany, Poland, and the great majority of Europe are bound together in one common unity seeking cooperation and stability, but the great task of determining the relationship between this European unity and the great powers external to it remains at hand if the Macron idea merits any serious consideration.
Image courtesy of Ijas Muhammed via Wikimedia, ©2017. Some rights reserved.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the wider St. Andrews Foreign Affairs Review team.
