France in Free Fall: Macron, the French, and Their Dance Macabre

EUROPE, 27 Oct 2025

Diran Noubar – TRANSCEND Media Service

26 Oct 2025 – France! The country that proclaims itself the cradle of liberty, the homeland of the Enlightenment, but under Emmanuel Macron, it resembles more a dusty Molière comedy: a blend of arrogance, absurdity, and tragedy, where the actors—the French themselves—lament while applauding their own shipwreck. Over the past few days, three events have turned France into a global caricature: the surprise downgrade of its sovereign credit rating by Standard & Poor’s, the audacious theft of jewels from the Louvre, and the historic incarceration of former President Nicolas Sarkozy. Three nails in the coffin of a nation that elected Macron not once, but twice, only to whine as if they didn’t see it coming. The French, self-proclaimed champions of strikes and complaints, are now reaping the fruits of their own electoral naivety. And the international press? They’re having a field day, swinging between pity, irony, and outright laughter.

Act I: Standard & Poor’s Buries France’s Fiscal Illusions

Let’s start with the economic humiliation, the kind that hits where it hurts: the wallet. On October 17, Standard & Poor’s, in a burst of brutal clarity, downgraded France’s sovereign credit rating from AA- to A+. A slap in the face that places the world’s fifth-largest economy in the same basket as shaky economies, far from Germany or even post-Brexit Britain. Why? A public deficit at 5.4% of GDP in 2025, a debt soaring to 114% of GDP, and political instability worthy of a low-budget Netflix series. Under Macron, whose pension reforms were shelved in the face of hordes of fluorescent-vested protesters, France has become a textbook case: how to turn an economic powerhouse into a leaking barrel. The French, meanwhile, voted for this investment banker in 2017 and 2022, charmed by his promises of a “revolution” and his picture-perfect smile. Today, they’re whimpering on social media, forgetting they handed themselves the rope to hang with.

The foreign press doesn’t hold back from shooting the wounded. Sarah White of Reuters titles mercilessly: “S&P’s Surprise Downgrade Slams France’s Fiscal Fairy Tale.” “The government’s inability to implement meaningful reforms has left public finances in a precarious state,” she writes, noting that Finance Minister Roland Lescure “vowed to pursue fiscal responsibility”—a promise as credible as a blank check. White, with her British coolness, quips: “The French seem more adept at striking than budgeting.” From New York, William Horobin of Bloomberg piles on in “France’s Third Downgrade in a Year Signals a Sinking Ship”: “Macron is trapped between populist protests and market pressures,” he writes, pointing out that “voters who backed Macron’s reformist agenda now lament the consequences.” A polite way of saying the French played visionaries and ended up looking like fools.

The Russians, however, don’t bother with subtlety. Ivan Petrov of Moscow’s tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda titles with a smirk: “France’s Economy Crumbles Under Macron’s Throne.” Petrov, known for his biting style, mocks the French who “elected a banker to save them, only to see their savings vanish in strikes and deficits.” He quotes a Russian analyst: “In Moscow, we know austerity; in Paris, they only know whining.” More measured but equally caustic, Dmitry Orlov of RT writes in “France’s S&P Slap: Macron’s Mirage of Grandeur” that “the French, who love to lecture the world on democracy, can’t balance their own books.” Orlov, with a mischievous wink, adds: “Perhaps they’ll protest this downgrade with a baguette and a bottle of Bordeaux.”

Act II: The Louvre, Looted like a Macaron Stand

Now for the cultural humiliation, because even France’s artistic grandeur isn’t spared the debacle. On October 19, in broad daylight, four masked thieves turned the Louvre into the set of a slapstick heist movie. Armed with grinders, an extendable ladder, and audacity worthy of a Luc Besson flick, they stole eight Crown Jewels—including Louis XV’s crown and the Hortensia diamond—in seven minutes flat. Seven minutes! The time it takes a Parisian to grumble about the rain and order a second coffee. The museum, evacuated and closed for two days, became the symbol of a France where even national treasures vanish like Macron’s credibility. The unions, true to their role as an ancient Greek chorus, decried “criminal budget cuts” in security, while incredulous tourists snapped photos of empty display cases. The French? They tweeted their outrage, forgetting they voted for a president who prioritizes startups over sentinels.

The international press ate it up. Nada al Nashif of Al Jazeera titles: “Louvre Heist: France’s Crown Jewels Stolen in Broad Daylight.” She describes “motorbike-riding thieves” who “humiliated a nation proud of its cultural heritage.” Nashif, with a touch of Middle Eastern irony, notes that “the French, who elected Macron to protect their grandeur, now watch their treasures flee on two wheels.” Melissa Bell of CNN headlines “Louvre’s Priceless Jewels Stolen in Seven-Minute Heist”: “Security cuts under Macron’s austerity have left France’s heritage vulnerable,” she writes. Bell, a former Paris correspondent, can’t resist a jab: “The French love their museums, but seem less keen on guarding them.” From Brussels, Sybille de La Hamaide of Reuters in “Brazen Louvre Robbery Exposes France’s Fragile Facade” describes thieves “scaling a window with a crane,” adding that “the French, who voted for Macron’s vision, now see their patrimony vanish faster than their tax euros.”

The Russians, again, pile on the sarcasm. Maria Petrova of Rossiyskaya Gazeta titles “France Loses Its Crown (Literally) Under Macron’s Watch.” With icy humor, she writes: “The French, who love to boast about their culture, forgot to lock the door. Were they too busy striking?” Petrova quotes a Moscow historian: “In Russia, we guard our treasures with tanks; in France, they use bicycles.” Meanwhile, Alexei Ivanov of Sputnik chuckles in “Louvre Looted: France’s Decline Sparkles Like Stolen Diamonds”: “Macron promised a Renaissance, but delivered a robbery. The French voters, with their endless protests, are their own worst enemies.”

Act III: Sarkozy Behind Bars, the Cannibal Republic

Finally, the political humiliation: Nicolas Sarkozy, the bling-bling ex-president, entered La Santé prison on October 21, the first French head of state incarcerated since Pétain. Sentenced to five years for “criminal conspiracy” in the Libyan funding scandal of his 2007 campaign, Sarkozy, 70, arrived with a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo and a biography of Jesus—a reading list that speaks volumes about his mindset. “I am an innocent man,” he tweeted, while his lawyers denounced a “judicial vendetta.” Under Macron, the justice system catches up with the old lions of the right, but the current president floats above scandals like a drone out of reach. The French, meanwhile, waver between snickers and selective outrage, forgetting they endorsed a system where the mighty fall… but not all of them. After all, wasn’t Macron Hollande’s Economy Minister when Sarkozy was still strutting? Complicity by omission, perhaps, but French voters prefer to blame history rather than their ballots.

The global press revels in it. Angelique Chrisafis of The Guardian titles “Sarkozy’s Prison Sentence: France’s Political Soap Opera Takes a Dark Turn.” With her analytical tone, she notes that “Macron’s France, where voters demand accountability but recoil at its consequences, is eating its own.” Chrisafis quips: “The French cheered Macron’s promise of renewal, only to see their former leaders in handcuffs.” Paul Kirby of the BBC , in “Sarkozy Behind Bars: France’s First Ex-President Jailed,” describes a Sarkozy “defiant, comparing himself to Dreyfus.” Kirby adds, with a smirk: “The French, who love their revolutions, seem less fond of their repercussions.” Sybille de La Hamaide, again for Reuters , in “Sarkozy Begins Five-Year Sentence in Historic Fall,” notes that “voters who backed Macron’s clean slate now watch their Republic devour its past.” Carla Bruni kissing her husband amid camera flashes? “A scene straight out of a French melodrama,” she mocks.

Russians, true to form, drive the point home. Vladimir Kuznetsov of Izvestia titles “Sarkozy in Chains: France’s Circus of Justice Under Macron.” “The French, who elected a boy-king to save them, now boo him when their idols fall,” he writes, adding that “in Russia, we jail oligarchs; in France, they jail presidents, but only the retired ones.” Kuznetsov quotes a St. Petersburg political scientist: “Macron’s France is a guillotine that spares the king.” Finally, Anastasia Popova of TASS, in “France Locks Up Sarkozy While Macron Dances,” mocks a nation where “voters cry for justice but weep when it arrives.” Popova, with barely concealed laughter, concludes: “The French love their liberty, but only when it’s free of consequences. They chose Macron; now they choose complaints.”

Epilogue: The French, Architects of Their Own Chaos

And there you have it, three acts of a tragicomedy where France, under Macron’s baton, collapses with theatrical flair. A sovereign credit rating in tatters, royal jewels gone, an ex-president in jail: if this isn’t a triptych of decline, it’s at least a masterpiece of irony. But the real culprit, make no mistake, is the French themselves. They voted for Macron, seduced by his startup-founder vibe and promises of grandeur, only to complain the moment the bill arrives. They protest, block roads, burn tires, but never look in the mirror. The international press, from London to Moscow, sees it clearly: France is a country that loves to sabotage itself with panache, then blames its conductor. Macron, this clumsy maestro, is merely the reflection of a nation that prefers grand speeches to grand decisions. So, dear French, keep whining, tweeting, and marching—but don’t forget: you’re the ones who handed Jupiter the keys to the Élysée. And now, watch it rain.

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Diran Noubar, an Italian-Armenian born in France, has lived in 11 countries until he moved to Armenia. He is a world-renowned, critically-acclaimed documentary filmmaker and war reporter. Starting in the early 2000’s in New York City, Diran produced and directed over 20 full-length documentary films. He is also a singer/songwriter and guitarist in his own band and runs a nonprofit charity organization, wearemenia.org.

This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 27 Oct 2025.

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