The African Direction of French Foreign Policy under the Rule of E. Macron: Discourse and Reality

The article examines the challenge faced by contemporary France in maintaining its international status as a great power, focusing on the foreign policy of President Emmanuel Macron’s administration in Africa. On the basis of the analysis of external and internal factors of political and economic development of France and its role in the global system of international relations, the authors argue that the decline of French influence on the African continent is a natural and inevitable outcome of historical development. This process is not primarily determined by subjective factors, such as Macron’s reforms of France’s African strategy or the wave of military coups in Francophone Africa. The aim of this study is to analyse the impact of a subjective factor, specifically the foreign policy decisions of Macron and his government on the weakening of France’s position in Africa between 2017 and 2024. The study explores how the policies of the Macron administration, including the “new African discourse”, have contributed to the decline of French influence in the region. Under Macron, France has undergone a significant foreign policy shift, moving away from the traditional Francafrique model toward economic pragmatism and active promotion of democratization in African states. However, the findings suggest that Macron’s policies, including his revised African strategy, have had only a marginal effect on France’s declining influence. Instead, the legacy of past policy failures and broader structural factors played a far more decisive role in this process.

French foreign policy, Africa, E. Macron, Political discourse, Francafrique