France’s top general quits, in a test for Emmanuel Macron
A conflict over military spending challenges the young president’s take-charge image
FOR a president usually eager to get the drama of politics right, Emmanuel Macron’s provocation of an open confrontation with his armed forces this month was a notable stumble. On July 14th he celebrated Bastille Day, riding in an open-top military jeep on the Champs-Elysées alongside Pierre de Villiers, the chief of the armed forces, before reviewing a parade with his guest of honour, Donald Trump. Five days later the furious general quit, saying he could no longer “guarantee” the means to protect France and sustain its ambition.
The affair has become Mr Macron’s first serious leadership test. He is likely to extricate himself, says François Heisbourg, a French security analyst, but the spat was “avoidable, at least in terms of theatre”.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline "Stumbling into a fight"
Europe July 22nd 2017
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- France’s top general quits, in a test for Emmanuel Macron
- The cost overruns on Russia’s World Cup stadiums are staggering
- Poland’s government is putting the courts under its control
- Emmanuel Macron is revitalising the European Union—and dividing it
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