RFI: Macron pledges to be tough on terrorism during Mali visit

In an interview for the French RFI, our deputy director Martin Michelot commented on the newly elected president Emmanuel Macron's visit at the French military base in Gao, northern Mali.

Macron’s visit to Gao fulfilled a campaign promise to visit French troops fighting armed Islamists. Originally he planned to do so on the day of his inauguration but the logistics didn’t work out. Macron is keen to set a firm political tone.

Emmanuel Macron’s main weakness is actually his [lack of] experience in foreign policy, security policy and fighting terrorism. He has to show already from the get-go that he has the resolve and the networks to carry this mission out.

Le Drian is widely known as Mr Africa within the government. As he is now foreign minister, the vision he articulated during the past five years will be continued. 

Read the whole article on RFI's website here.

Martin Michelot
Senior Associate Research Fellow

Expertise: NATO and transatlantic security, European foreign policy and defense, French politics, elections and society, Visegrad Four and Central Europe, EU institutional issues