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Catherine Perez-Shakdam

President Macron’s Cowardice and the Revival of Vichy’s Ghost

AI Generated image courtesy of Catherine Perez-Shakdam
AI Generated image courtesy of Catherine Perez-Shakdam

In these troubled times, when the winds of war and peace swirl around us once again, one might be tempted to believe that history has taught us all we need to know. One might assume that the lessons of the past—those written in the blood of millions—would guide today’s leaders with a sense of clarity, purpose, and resolve. But alas, how wrong we would be. For in the corridors of power, where courage is most needed, we find instead a parade of cowardice, led most prominently by none other than President Emmanuel Macron of France.

President Macron has become a master of the carefully staged gesture, the hollow rhetoric of peace at any cost, the art of masking capitulation as diplomacy. He tells us he seeks dialogue, that he stands for unity and peace. But let us not be fooled by such illusions. Macron’s brand of peace is not one forged in strength or conviction, but one borne out of fear. Fear of losing his grip on power. Fear of losing his place at the ballot box.

He cloaks himself in the language of statesmanship, but make no mistake—this is appeasement, plain and simple. Macron’s France has chosen the path of least resistance, the path that sacrifices principle in exchange for political expediency. It is the same path that so many took in a darker time, when the echo of Vichy rang through the streets of France—a time when collaboration with evil was dressed up as pragmatism, and the cries of the oppressed were ignored for the sake of convenience.

Vichy calls, and Macron, though wrapped in the modern trappings of power, has answered. His actions betray his words. His France is not the France of Charles de Gaulle, not the France of resistance and defiance in the face of tyranny, but a France that once again turns its back on justice when it becomes too uncomfortable. It is a France that sees in Hezbollah and their ilk not enemies of freedom, but potential partners at the negotiating table. A France that pretends peace can be achieved through dialogue with those who glorify violence, who continue to stockpile rockets and weapons aimed at Israel’s heart.

President Macron, like many politicians before him, seeks the easy way out. He knows full well the danger posed by Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy, festering in Lebanon and posing a constant threat to the security of Israel and the wider Middle East. Yet, instead of standing firm, instead of drawing a line in the sand, he chooses to placate and indulge. Why? Because taking a stand would cost him politically. It would risk alienating voters, upsetting the delicate balance of France’s internal politics. And that, of course, is a risk too great for Macron to bear.

What we are witnessing is not diplomacy—it is cowardice. Macron’s brand of leadership is rooted in fear, not in courage. He seeks peace not through strength, but through surrender. He wants quiet at any cost, even if that cost is paid with the blood of the innocent, even if it means turning a blind eye to those who would destroy everything that Western civilization is supposed to stand for.

But Macron’s hypocrisy does not stop at his dealings with Hezbollah. His recent rhetoric on Israel, his insistence on so-called “neutrality” in the face of Israel’s existential threats, is nothing less than a betrayal of truth. He knows full well the stakes at play, yet he postures and preens for the cameras, pretending to be the dispassionate statesman when in reality he is playing to his domestic audience, attempting to appease the growing voices of anti-Israel sentiment in France.

Macron would have us believe that he is simply pursuing peace. But this is not peace. This is appeasement of the most dangerous kind. It is the same kind of appeasement that has always led to disaster. It is the same cowardice that allowed the rise of fascism in Europe, the same cowardice that stood by while millions were slaughtered. And now, once again, we see the ghosts of Vichy stirring, as Macron turns his back on the lessons of history for the sake of political convenience.

We must ask ourselves: what kind of peace is Macron pursuing? A peace in which Israel is left vulnerable to attack, while Hezbollah continues to stockpile arms unchecked? A peace in which the Iranian regime, emboldened by Europe’s refusal to confront it, continues to expand its influence across the Middle East? This is not peace. This is surrender—and it is a surrender that will have devastating consequences for the region and the world.

It is no secret that Macron’s political calculus is driven by his own ambition. He may speak of justice, of diplomacy, but his actions betray a man who is willing to sacrifice principle for power. And let us be clear: history will not look kindly on such men. History will not forget those who, when faced with the choice between courage and cowardice, chose the latter.

The blood of the innocent cries out from the pages of history, and no amount of political manouevring will ever silence its call. Macron may believe he can rewrite the past, may think he can avoid confronting the truth of the present, but he is mistaken. For the truth will out, and when it does, it will reveal him not as a man of peace, but as a man who abandoned the principles he swore to defend.

Israel stands on the front line, facing threats that Macron and his ilk can afford to dismiss from the comfort of their palaces. But let it be said, Israel will not bend, nor will it be betrayed by the hollow promises of those who speak of peace while enabling terror. The Vichy spirit may be alive in Paris, but Israel will continue to defend itself, with or without Macron’s approval.

Let us remember this well: peace does not come from appeasing those who seek to destroy you. It comes from the strength to stand firm, from the resolve to confront evil, no matter the cost. And in the end, history will judge Macron, not by his words, but by his failure to act when it mattered most.

About the Author
Catherine Perez-Shakdam - Director Forward Strategy and Executive Director Forum of Foreign Relations (FFR) Catherine is a former Research Fellow at the Henry Jackson Society and consultant for the UNSC on Yemen, as well an expert on Iran, Terror and Islamic radicalisation. A prominent political analyst and commentator, she has spoken at length on the Islamic Republic of Iran, calling on the UK to proscribe the IRGC as a terrorist organisation. Raised in a secular Jewish family in France, Catherine found herself at the very heart of the Islamic world following her marriage to a Muslim from Yemen. Her experience in the Middle East and subsequent work as a political analyst gave her a very particular, if not a rare viewpoint - especially in how one can lose one' sense of identity when confronted with systemic antisemitism. Determined to share her experience and perspective on those issues which unfortunately plague us -- Islamic radicalism, Terror and Antisemitism Catherine also will speak of a world, which often sits out of our reach for a lack of access.
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