French President Emmanuel Macron has long wished for greater European
military cooperation. This week, he continued the drive, suggesting the
bloc can no longer rely on American military support to protect members
against outside threats.
In a speech to relaunch his political
agenda Monday, the president explained, “It is up to us to guarantee
European security” and said he would “launch an exhaustive review” of
security relations with “all Europe's partners, which includes Russia.”
After
decades of underinvestment, Macron is spearheading a push to revamp
France’s military, returning it to its historical position as one of the
most well-funded and potent forces in the world.
With Europe facing an
emboldened Russia and the Western allies battling Islamist threats
across Africa and the Middle East, France needs its bite back.
President Donald Trump’s residency in the White House has presented a
challenge for European nations. For decades, NATO stood united and firm
against the threat of the Soviet Union and later the new Russia.
In
recent years, Russian foreign policy has become more bellicose, and
relations have deteriorated as Moscow's military tendrils reached into
countries such as Georgia, Ukraine and Syria, to name but a few.
But
Trump’s disdain for nearly every multinational alliance or agreement
apparently includes NATO. The president incorrectly believes that
European nations are not paying their fair share toward the shared
military budget, and reportedly threatened to pull the U.S. out of the
bloc unless its allies took on a greater part of the burden.
Read more: Macron Wants to Create a European Army—But First He's Reviving French Military Might
