Macron Goes on a Quest for French Energy Security
Securing uranium for the country’s nuclear plants took the French president to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
President Emmanuel Macron has been making the case for energy savings and more investment in clean power and new nuclear plants to curb fossil fuel use and fight climate change.
Photographer: Nathan Laine/BloombergBonjour et bienvenue to the Paris Edition. I’m Bloomberg Opinion columnist Lionel Laurent. If you haven’t yet, subscribe now to the Paris Edition newsletter.
Projecting foreign-policy grandeur has been part of the job of French presidents for decades, and Emmanuel Macron is no exception. Recent results have been less grand than usual, however. Rallying the Global South to the West’s stance on Ukraine hasn’t been a roaring success, while a string of coups in sub-Saharan Africa speak to failed counter-terrorism in former colonies. Last week’s Mideast outreach tour produced an unconvincing proposal for an anti-Hamas “coalition” that tried to strike a balance between condemning the Oct. 7 attacks and restraining Israel’s Gaza assault.