French election reveals rift in Europe

法国大选折射欧洲“裂痕”

Source
China Military Online
Editor
Wang Xinjuan
Time
2022-04-23 00:04:58

方晓志

By Fang Xiaozhi

4月24日是法国大选进行第二轮投票的日子,进入最后角逐的现在只剩下现任总统马克龙和极右翼政党“国民联盟”总统候选人勒庞。马克龙坚决支持欧洲一体化,而勒庞极力倡导民族主义,要求欧盟进行内部改革,并呼吁退出北约。在当前欧洲安全形势动荡的背景下,两人的执政理念和政策分歧备受外界关注。

France’s current president Macron will face off against Marine Le Pen, the far-right National Rally party candidate , in the second round of voting to be held on April 24. While Macron insists on having an integrated Europe, Le Pen is a strong supporter of nationalism, advocating an internal reform in the European Union (EU) and France’s exit from NATO. Their divergences in governance philosophy and policies have drawn close attention amid the current precarious security situation in Europe.

马克龙自2017年上任以来,一直主张建立欧洲联合部队,积极推动组建独立的欧洲军事力量。不过,时至今日,欧洲战略自主更多停留在口号上,没有太多实际成果。与此同时,欧洲经济面临多重挑战,欧盟作为“粘合剂”的社会共识正逐渐消失。

Macron has been pushing for a united, independent European military force ever since he took power in 2017, but “strategic independence of Europe” is still more of a slogan now without making much substantial progress, and the social consensus that making the EU an “adhesive agent” of the continent is losing luster in face of multiple economic challenges.

勒庞则主张提升法国的独立自主性,不再受欧盟的整体框架限制。4月13日,勒庞在公布其竞选纲领时表示,法国应从“布鲁塞尔的枷锁”中解脱出来,对欧盟进行内部改革。这将对欧洲一体化的未来前景造成较大冲击。

Le Pen envisions a more independent France that’s no longer bounded by the EU framework. Announcing her election program on April 13, the female candidate said Paris should be freed from the fetters of Brussels and that the EU needs an internal reform. Her statements lent a heavy blow to the prospects of having an integrated Europe.

勒庞对德国的态度也使本就微妙的法德关系更加失衡,欧洲发展前景面临诸多不确定性。她曾宣称,当选后将重新调整与德国的关系,包括停止支持德国成为联合国安理会常任理事国的申请等。

Le Pen’s attitude toward Germany has also tilted the already subtle France-Germany relationship out of balance, exposing Europe’s future to many uncertainties. She once vowed to readjust the relationship with Germany if/when she was elected, including pulling off the support for Germany to become a permanent member of the United Nations (UN) Security Council.

此外,勒庞对于北约持排斥态度。在此前的选举集会上,勒庞不止一次猛烈攻击北约对欧洲稳定局势的破坏,表示决不允许让法国军队听命于一个不属于法国主权管辖的军事指挥机构。勒庞表示,如果她当选总统,法国将再次退出北约。不过,勒庞同时称,不会放弃北约“集体防卫条款”,认为该条款对于维护欧洲的安全稳定至关重要。

Le Pen doesn’t like NATO either, and had, in previous election rallies, more than once blasted the organization for destroying the stability in Europe, saying that she would not allow French troops to follow orders from a military command organization that’s outside of France’s jurisdiction. While vowing to take France out of NATO if she were elected, Le Pen also said she wouldn’t renounce the “collective defense” of NATO as that was vital for preserving security and stability on the continent.

这看似矛盾的表态,表明法国要退出北约是不满其在北约中的地位,意图摆脱美国霸权体系的阴影,与美国争夺北约的军事领导权,或者至少是对北约欧洲成员国的军事领导权。近年来,美国政府采取了诸多对法国不利的举措,特别是美国向澳大利亚转让核潜艇技术,直接导致法澳之间巨额常规潜艇采购协议中止,令法国愤怒不已。

These seemingly contradictory statements show that if France were to leave NATO, it was because it was dissatisfied with its position in the organization, wanted to shake off the shadow of American hegemony and compete with it for military leadership in NATO, at least among its European members. In recent years, Washington has adopted several measures that have disgruntled France. Its transfer of nuclear submarine technology to Australia, which led to the latter canceling the gigantic conventional submarine deals with France, particularly infuriated Paris.

总之,此次两位法国总统候选人出现明显的政策分歧,既暴露出法国国内面临的诸多问题,也表明欧洲社会“裂痕”日益显现,更凸显了欧洲战略自主追求与美国霸权体系现状的矛盾。如果这些问题无法解决,在可预见的将来,欧洲社会的“裂痕”还将进一步扩大。

Therefore, the noteworthy divergences between the two candidates running for the French presidency have not only revealed France's domestic problems, but also the more conspicuous rift across Europe, and the conflict between Europe's pursuit of strategic independence and America's hegemony. If these problems remain unsolved, the rift in European society is sure to widen in the foreseeable future.

(作者为国防科技大学国际关系学院副教授)

(The author is an associate professor from the College of International Studies, National University of Defense Technology)

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