Ecoute Sauvage (@Ecoute)

FT article yesterday / paywalled ------------------------------------------------------------------- Wanted: a global role for a serious European power with a colonial past and the political will and military means to venture beyond its own borders. No one will ever accuse France’s Emmanuel Macron of lack of resolve. The first instinct of many European leaders in response to geopolitical upheavals is to hide under the bed covers. The president of France’s Fifth Republic is more likely to dispatch a warship. Mr Macron’s grand project is to create a “sovereign” or “autonomous” Europe. At its heart, this means that Europeans should not sign up to a bipolar world shaped by Sino-American rivalry. Nor should they limit their options to the choices promulgated by Washington and Beijing. Europe should have a mind of its own, not least in securing its interests in the Mediterranean and Africa. Among the keys to this European sovereignty, Mr Macron says, are a common intervention force, a common defence budget and a common doctrine for action. For anyone concerned about the US retreat from international leadership and the assertive authoritarianism of Xi Jinping’s regime in China, the French president’s strategic judgment sounds eminently sensible. US president-elect Joe Biden is patently sincere about restoring American Atlanticism. But, as time passes, Washington can be expected to wind down its contribution to the west’s collective security. As for China, its approach to Europe is now well-established — pick off the weakest nations in order to divide and rule. So there is much in the French proposition that even an ultra-cautious Germany should agree with. And, sure enough, the need for the EU to take on more responsibility has also become one of Chancellor Angela Merkel's mantras. It will loom large in her first meeting with Mr Biden. If, as expected, Ms Merkel stands down later this year, her successor is likely to be more rather than less willing to widen the boundaries of German engagement. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>cont'd