France Sends Troops!
Foreign media reports state that on March 3 local time, French President Macron delivered a televised address to the nation, announcing the deployment of the aircraft carrier "Charles de Gaulle" to the Mediterranean to ensure maritime route security and protect Europe's economic interests. In his speech, Macron stated that Iran bears "primary responsibility" for the US-Israel actions, but France cannot endorse the military actions against Iran by the US and Israel.
Comments: Macron's announcement to deploy the aircraft carrier reflects France's typical "neutral" strategy in the US-Iran conflict — trying to demonstrate European strategic autonomy while not wanting to offend the United States; worrying about the impact of the energy crisis on the economy while attempting to maintain moral distance.
Macron's statement on the US-Iran conflict precisely aligns with Europe's dilemma. Acknowledging Iran's responsibility is to avoid being seen as "appeasement" by the United States; rejecting military action is to soothe domestic anti-war sentiment and retain diplomatic space. However, this "splitting the blame" position actually avoids the core issue: it was the US-Israel's preemptive strike that created the current crisis, and Iran's response was a passive reaction rather than an active provocation.
After Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, the surge in oil prices directly impacted France's inflation and people's livelihoods, and Macron needed to demonstrate a "proactive" stance to the domestic audience. This move continued his consistent narrative of "European strategic autonomy." France has neither the capability to prevent the escalation of the US-Israel conflict nor the courage to unite Europe to pressure the US, so it can only gain post-conflict influence by "being present."
Original text: toutiao.com/article/1858697885307912/
Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.