The 2017 Soft Power Index upranked France 4 spots to first this year, just barely beating the UK and the US.
"France has emerged as the overall world leader when it comes to soft power," according to the Portland report, although it was only first in 1 of the 6 domains measured: Engagement.
Why? A rebound from a bad year in 2016 (Hollande's low popularity, big terrorist attacks, growing far-right populism); the election of a young pro-Europe Macron over the Front National and a near-future outlook of pro-business, pro-EU reforms and an energized, EU-leader France; Macron's social media engagement; and France's traditional diplomacy:
"Once again, France’s greatest strength lies in its vast diplomatic network. It is unrivalled in terms of membership to multilateral and international organisations, as well as in its diplomatic cultural missions. And with Macron having long campaigned for cooperation and integration, it is not unreasonable to expect France’s global engagement and influence to grow. Culturally, France also puts in a strong performance. The threat of terrorism has not stopped tourists flocking to France and enjoying its rich cultural offering, cuisine, and lifestyle – France’s restaurant scene is unrivalled, its film sector continues to flourish, and its museums and galleries are some of the most visited in the world."
Combine those factors with a UK losing some popularity after Brexit and a Trump US.
It should be noted that of the 6 domains, the US still took first in Education, Culture, and Digital. Singapore got Enterprise. Norway got Government.
Canada? Third in Education, fifth in Digital, ninth in Culture and Government. It didn't place in Enterprise or Engagement.
Showing posts with label France. Show all posts
Showing posts with label France. Show all posts
Wednesday, 2 August 2017
Monday, 8 May 2017
Macron Still Faces Challenges
The French president-elect, the youngest leader of the country since Napoleon and a man who was unknown a year ago, could find himself without much power to act if he doesn't quickly form a movement to win a majority in the French national assembly.
In the run up to the election, two candidates were chosen from a dozen, with Macron getting voter support from 24% of French citizens and Le Pen getting 22%.
Between the two candidates, Macron won a decisive victory, getting 65% of the votes in an election in which relatively few people went out to vote for either option. In all, less than a third of the country voted for the president in the election.
Evidence of how divided France is can be seen in the 35% garnered by Le Pen, whose political views are considered extreme and very different from those of the new president, who was the first choice of less than a quarter of the French public. Another important statistic: 40% of France is against the EU (which represents globalization in Europe), which Macron is in favor of.
Analysts said that there has never been a similar situation in French political life.
In the run up to the election, two candidates were chosen from a dozen, with Macron getting voter support from 24% of French citizens and Le Pen getting 22%.
Between the two candidates, Macron won a decisive victory, getting 65% of the votes in an election in which relatively few people went out to vote for either option. In all, less than a third of the country voted for the president in the election.
Evidence of how divided France is can be seen in the 35% garnered by Le Pen, whose political views are considered extreme and very different from those of the new president, who was the first choice of less than a quarter of the French public. Another important statistic: 40% of France is against the EU (which represents globalization in Europe), which Macron is in favor of.
Analysts said that there has never been a similar situation in French political life.
Sunday, 7 May 2017
Macron, President of France
The 39-year-old centrist independent will win, it looks like, by a decisive margin of 65% to 35%.
Le Pen’s 35% is seen as still being an important indicator of political feeling in the country.
Le Pen’s 35% is seen as still being an important indicator of political feeling in the country.
Saturday, 6 May 2017
French Candidate Macron Email Hack
Many parties are concerned about hacking having an effect on the election, and there are questions about whether false material is mixed in with the email leaks, which are purported to be from four top-level members of the Macron campaign.
Macron is the front-runner in the the election, which is itself a runoff (with Macron and Le Pen combined receiving less than 50% of the vote in the first stage of the election.
In France, the media is not allowed to report on political topics 24 hours before the election begins.
Some are alleging that the hacks stem from the Russian government, which has been active in trying to influence other elections around the world. There is no hard evidence to support this, though, and no evidence is likely to be found, given the nature of the type of activity (cyber).
Macron is the front-runner in the the election, which is itself a runoff (with Macron and Le Pen combined receiving less than 50% of the vote in the first stage of the election.
In France, the media is not allowed to report on political topics 24 hours before the election begins.
Some are alleging that the hacks stem from the Russian government, which has been active in trying to influence other elections around the world. There is no hard evidence to support this, though, and no evidence is likely to be found, given the nature of the type of activity (cyber).
Sunday, 23 April 2017
France: No Mainstream President
Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen advance to the final round of the French election set for May 17.
Macron is a politically inexperienced former investment banker in favor of staying in the EU and reforming French economic laws. His supporters often consider Le Pen extremist.
Le Pen is anti-immigration and is in favor of laws restricting some public displays of Muslim culture, such as head scarves, in favor of "France first." The group that supports this candidate is considered fairly far-Right, and they value more control for France, including being allowed to regulate the borders, manage their currency (devalue it if they want to), and to have tools to combat the ill effects of globalization.
Both candidates combined received less than 50% of the vote, so many people will be making a second choice in the election.
Macron is a politically inexperienced former investment banker in favor of staying in the EU and reforming French economic laws. His supporters often consider Le Pen extremist.
Le Pen is anti-immigration and is in favor of laws restricting some public displays of Muslim culture, such as head scarves, in favor of "France first." The group that supports this candidate is considered fairly far-Right, and they value more control for France, including being allowed to regulate the borders, manage their currency (devalue it if they want to), and to have tools to combat the ill effects of globalization.
Both candidates combined received less than 50% of the vote, so many people will be making a second choice in the election.
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