France grapples with cold, hard truths of its place in the world
Macron’s government continues to read from a free trade hymnal. But in foreign policy, as the bloodshed in New Caledonia shows, the situation is far more difficult.
At Notre Dame de Paris, the scaffolding is coming down, piece by piece. Restoration of the iconic cathedral after the calamitous fire of April 2019 is due for completion by November.
Few believed French President Emmanuel Macron when he declared in the aftermath of the blaze that the rebuild would be complete in five years. That it remains on schedule is testament in part to the new “can do” culture he has instilled in French enterprise and the national outlook since his election in 2017.
