{"id":306198,"date":"2025-10-27T12:00:30","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T12:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=306198"},"modified":"2025-10-27T07:55:45","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T07:55:45","slug":"france-in-free-fall-macron-the-french-and-their-dance-macabre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2025\/10\/france-in-free-fall-macron-the-french-and-their-dance-macabre\/","title":{"rendered":"France in Free Fall: Macron, the French, and Their Dance Macabre"},"content":{"rendered":"

26 Oct 2025 – <\/em>France! The country that proclaims itself the cradle of liberty, the homeland of the Enlightenment, but under Emmanuel Macron, it resembles more a dusty Moli\u00e8re comedy: a blend of arrogance, absurdity, and tragedy, where the actors\u2014the French themselves\u2014lament 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\u2019s, 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\u2019t 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\u2019re having a field day, swinging between pity, irony, and outright laughter.<\/p>\n

Act I: Standard & Poor\u2019s Buries France\u2019s Fiscal Illusions<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the economic humiliation, the kind that hits where it hurts: the wallet. On October 17, Standard & Poor\u2019s, in a burst of brutal clarity, downgraded France\u2019s sovereign credit rating from AA- to A+. A slap in the face that places the world\u2019s 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 \u201crevolution\u201d and his picture-perfect smile. Today, they\u2019re whimpering on social media, forgetting they handed themselves the rope to hang with.<\/p>\n

The foreign press doesn\u2019t hold back from shooting the wounded. Sarah White of\u00a0Reuters\u00a0<\/em>titles mercilessly: \u201cS&P\u2019s Surprise Downgrade Slams France\u2019s Fiscal Fairy Tale.\u201d \u201cThe government\u2019s inability to implement meaningful reforms has left public finances in a precarious state,\u201d she writes, noting that Finance Minister Roland Lescure \u201cvowed to pursue fiscal responsibility\u201d\u2014a promise as credible as a blank check. White, with her British coolness, quips: \u201cThe French seem more adept at striking than budgeting.\u201d From New York, William Horobin of\u00a0Bloomberg\u00a0<\/em>piles on in \u201cFrance\u2019s Third Downgrade in a Year Signals a Sinking Ship\u201d: \u201cMacron is trapped between populist protests and market pressures,\u201d he writes, pointing out that \u201cvoters who backed Macron\u2019s reformist agenda now lament the consequences.\u201d A polite way of saying the French played visionaries and ended up looking like fools.<\/p>\n

The Russians, however, don\u2019t bother with subtlety. Ivan Petrov of Moscow\u2019s tabloid\u00a0Komsomolskaya Pravda\u00a0<\/em>titles with a smirk: \u201cFrance\u2019s Economy Crumbles Under Macron\u2019s Throne.\u201d Petrov, known for his biting style, mocks the French who \u201celected a banker to save them, only to see their savings vanish in strikes and deficits.\u201d He quotes a Russian analyst: \u201cIn Moscow, we know austerity; in Paris, they only know whining.\u201d More measured but equally caustic, Dmitry Orlov of\u00a0RT<\/em>\u00a0writes in \u201cFrance\u2019s S&P Slap: Macron\u2019s Mirage of Grandeur\u201d that \u201cthe French, who love to lecture the world on democracy, can\u2019t balance their own books.\u201d Orlov, with a mischievous wink, adds: \u201cPerhaps they\u2019ll protest this downgrade with a baguette and a bottle of Bordeaux.\u201d<\/p>\n

Act II: The Louvre, Looted like a Macaron Stand<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now for the cultural humiliation, because even France\u2019s artistic grandeur isn\u2019t 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\u2014including Louis XV\u2019s crown and the Hortensia diamond\u2014in 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\u2019s credibility. The unions, true to their role as an ancient Greek chorus, decried \u201ccriminal budget cuts\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

The international press ate it up. Nada al Nashif of\u00a0Al Jazeera\u00a0<\/em>titles: \u201cLouvre Heist: France\u2019s Crown Jewels Stolen in Broad Daylight.\u201d She describes \u201cmotorbike-riding thieves\u201d who \u201chumiliated a nation proud of its cultural heritage.\u201d Nashif, with a touch of Middle Eastern irony, notes that \u201cthe French, who elected Macron to protect their grandeur, now watch their treasures flee on two wheels.\u201d Melissa Bell of\u00a0CNN<\/em>\u00a0headlines \u201cLouvre\u2019s Priceless Jewels Stolen in Seven-Minute Heist\u201d: \u201cSecurity cuts under Macron\u2019s austerity have left France\u2019s heritage vulnerable,\u201d she writes. Bell, a former Paris correspondent, can\u2019t resist a jab: \u201cThe French love their museums, but seem less keen on guarding them.\u201d From Brussels, Sybille de La Hamaide of\u00a0Reuters<\/em>\u00a0in \u201cBrazen Louvre Robbery Exposes France\u2019s Fragile Facade\u201d describes thieves \u201cscaling a window with a crane,\u201d adding that \u201cthe French, who voted for Macron\u2019s vision, now see their patrimony vanish faster than their tax euros.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Russians, again, pile on the sarcasm. Maria Petrova of\u00a0Rossiyskaya Gazeta<\/em>\u00a0titles \u201cFrance Loses Its Crown (Literally) Under Macron\u2019s Watch.\u201d With icy humor, she writes: \u201cThe French, who love to boast about their culture, forgot to lock the door. Were they too busy striking?\u201d Petrova quotes a Moscow historian: \u201cIn Russia, we guard our treasures with tanks; in France, they use bicycles.\u201d Meanwhile, Alexei Ivanov of\u00a0Sputnik<\/em>\u00a0chuckles in \u201cLouvre Looted: France\u2019s Decline Sparkles Like Stolen Diamonds\u201d: \u201cMacron promised a Renaissance, but delivered a robbery. The French voters, with their endless protests, are their own worst enemies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Act III: Sarkozy Behind Bars, the Cannibal Republic<\/strong><\/p>\n

Finally, the political humiliation: Nicolas Sarkozy, the bling-bling ex-president, entered La Sant\u00e9 prison on October 21, the first French head of state incarcerated since P\u00e9tain. Sentenced to five years for \u201ccriminal conspiracy\u201d in the Libyan funding scandal of his 2007 campaign, Sarkozy, 70, arrived with a copy of\u00a0The Count of Monte Cristo<\/em>\u00a0and a biography of Jesus\u2014a reading list that speaks volumes about his mindset. \u201cI am an innocent man,\u201d he tweeted, while his lawyers denounced a \u201cjudicial vendetta.\u201d 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\u2026 but not all of them. After all, wasn\u2019t Macron Hollande\u2019s Economy Minister when Sarkozy was still strutting? Complicity by omission, perhaps, but French voters prefer to blame history rather than their ballots.<\/p>\n

The global press revels in it. Angelique Chrisafis of\u00a0The Guardian\u00a0<\/em>titles \u201cSarkozy\u2019s Prison Sentence: France\u2019s Political Soap Opera Takes a Dark Turn.\u201d With her analytical tone, she notes that \u201cMacron\u2019s France, where voters demand accountability but recoil at its consequences, is eating its own.\u201d Chrisafis quips: \u201cThe French cheered Macron\u2019s promise of renewal, only to see their former leaders in handcuffs.\u201d Paul Kirby of the\u00a0BBC<\/em>\u00a0, in \u201cSarkozy Behind Bars: France\u2019s First Ex-President Jailed,\u201d describes a Sarkozy \u201cdefiant, comparing himself to Dreyfus.\u201d Kirby adds, with a smirk: \u201cThe French, who love their revolutions, seem less fond of their repercussions.\u201d Sybille de La Hamaide, again for\u00a0Reuters<\/em>\u00a0, in \u201cSarkozy Begins Five-Year Sentence in Historic Fall,\u201d notes that \u201cvoters who backed Macron\u2019s clean slate now watch their Republic devour its past.\u201d Carla Bruni kissing her husband amid camera flashes? \u201cA scene straight out of a French melodrama,\u201d she mocks.<\/p>\n

Russians, true to form, drive the point home. Vladimir Kuznetsov of\u00a0Izvestia<\/em>\u00a0titles \u201cSarkozy in Chains: France\u2019s Circus of Justice Under Macron.\u201d \u201cThe French, who elected a boy-king to save them, now boo him when their idols fall,\u201d he writes, adding that \u201cin Russia, we jail oligarchs; in France, they jail presidents, but only the retired ones.\u201d Kuznetsov quotes a St. Petersburg political scientist: \u201cMacron\u2019s France is a guillotine that spares the king.\u201d Finally, Anastasia Popova of\u00a0TASS<\/em>, in \u201cFrance Locks Up Sarkozy While Macron Dances,\u201d mocks a nation where \u201cvoters cry for justice but weep when it arrives.\u201d Popova, with barely concealed laughter, concludes: \u201cThe French love their liberty, but only when it\u2019s free of consequences. They chose Macron; now they choose complaints.\u201d<\/p>\n

Epilogue: The French, Architects of Their Own Chaos<\/strong><\/p>\n

And there you have it, three acts of a tragicomedy where France, under Macron\u2019s baton, collapses with theatrical flair. A sovereign credit rating in tatters, royal jewels gone, an ex-president in jail: if this isn\u2019t a triptych of decline, it\u2019s 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\u2014but don\u2019t forget: you\u2019re the ones who handed Jupiter the keys to the \u00c9lys\u00e9e. And now, watch it rain.<\/p>\n

_____________________________________________<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> 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\u2019s 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, <\/em>wearemenia.org<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

26 Oct 2025 – France! The cradle of liberty, the homeland of the Enlightenment that under Macron resembles more a dusty Moli\u00e8re comedy: a blend of arrogance, absurdity and tragedy, where the actors\u2014the French\u2014lament while applauding their own shipwreck.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":291345,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[120,1326,1934,459,1675,328,1923,2399],"class_list":["post-306198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe","tag-conflict","tag-emmanuel-macron","tag-enlightenment","tag-equality","tag-france","tag-freedom","tag-legality","tag-nicolas-sarkozy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=306198"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":306199,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/306198\/revisions\/306199"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/291345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=306198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=306198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=306198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}