France’s position towards Russia has been ambivalent for decades, based in part on myths, projec­tions and unreal­istic ambitions. Emmanuel Macron’s policies vis-à-vis Moscow seem to embody this. At the beginning...

French policy towards Russia was based on self-serving delusions that led to dangerous failures and exacer­bated Putin’s paranoia. The West needs to overhaul its policies and build a strong security system in Europe and beyond.

French election campaigns are usually desper­ately navel-gazing. Foreign policy issues are all but absent from the debate. And even in ‘ordinary’ times, all mainstream evening news programmes consider inter­na­tional news...