France’s African Positions in the Macron Era

Abstract

France has spectacularly lost ground in Africa in recent years. Not only has it regressed in the field of hard power, i.e. primarily in the military field, but its attractiveness and soft power have also suffered, while at the same time other powers are trying to increase their influence on the continent, more than once to the detriment of Paris. The purpose of the study is to reveal–by calling on the concepts of hard and soft power–what are the lost and remaining French positions, and what room for maneuver remains for Paris in Africa. The study’s ambition is also to show how French elites think about France’s role on the continent. For this purpose, the study calls on not only literary sources, but also comprehensive materials of political actors and the works of professional journalists. The examined time span is basically the Macron era between 2017–2024.