World News: Europe and Tocqueville

Details

Category: World News - Europe

Published on Wednesday, 13 March 2024 06:48

Written by Olivier Longhi

While 73% of French people say they are in favour of the European project, they also put the National Rally at the top of the list of voting intentions in the European elections next June.

A political antinomy that Tocqueville had evoked in the nineteenth century in other forms but still relevant today. One might have thought that the French were angry at the construction of Europe, almost angry. According to the latest Ipsos poll, the opposite is true, with 73% of respondents saying they are in favour of the European project.

Beltway Insider: Biden/Gaza Aid, Super Tuesday, No Labels/Voter Apathy, Sweden, Trump/Biden Rematch, Menendez

These are encouraging results, but they are striking, even surprising, when, at the same time, the National Rally is 13 points ahead of the Renaissance party, a pillar of the presidential majority. Some wonder about this antinomy, especially since the far-right party's political project is not particularly in line with the European project that has been carried out since its creation in 1957 via the Treaty of Rome.

Others may agree with Tocqueville's statement that internal affairs often determine external affairs. Brought forward in the nineteenth century, this reflection is nevertheless of a contemporaneity that could explain this apparent antinomy.

World News: The Republic’s View of the 2024 Presidential Election

Instrumentalization

Although the respondents in question, who are supposed to represent the French people, say they are in favour of the European project, the anxieties that run through them, the anxieties that grip them and the fears that agitate them are at the origin of the growing popularity of the National Rally a few weeks before an election of European and therefore external scope.

The instrumentalization of the election by the far-right party, if it is no longer to be demonstrated, in order to discredit government action, and thus use the European deadlines as a full-scale test before the presidential election of 2027, however, only partially refers to Tocqueville's reflection because if the extreme right is strengthening in France, it is not for all that in power.

World News: European Elections the Many Shades of Populism

And, as insidious as its influence on the conduct of public affairs may be, it does not exercise any executive mandate that can provide it with a platform and a space for action. To a certain extent, however, it illustrates how a people remains first and foremost focused on their domestic concerns before considering foreign policy as a possible solution to the ills it is experiencing.

Inner Malaise

Giving one's external relations an inner hue is nothing new. The latest example is the precautions taken by the United States towards Israel in view of the conflict between the latter and Hamas as the presidential election looms in November 2024 to elect Joe Biden's successor or reappoint him to office.

World News: Alexei Navalny Death Ushers in Putin’s Modern Dictatorship

Thus, the rise of the National Rally should only be seen as the expression of an internal malaise, but not only one, which could also be studied in other countries of the Union, thus inviting us to distinguish between the European project, and the potential faults that can be attributed to it, and the political objectives of a party anxious to hijack a community election for purely domestic purposes. It would also be interesting to study the extent to which MEPs from far-right parties influence the domestic politics of their countries of origin. But Tocqueville made no mention of this.

Bio: Olivier Longhi has extensive experience in European history. A seasoned journalist with fifteen years of experience, he is currently professor of history and geography in the Toulouse region of France. He has held a variety of publishing positions, including Head of Agency and Chief of Publishing. A journalist, recognized blogger, editor, and editorial project manager, he has trained and managed editorial teams, worked as a journalist for various local radio stations, a press and publishing consultant, and a communications consultant.