In 2024, exactly one hundred years after Paris last hosted the Summer Olympics, France will once again welcome the Games. With an economy still recovering from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, a historically unpopular president, and an energy and diplomatic crisis sparked by the war in Ukraine, the Games offer an unprecedented opportunity for France to reestablish its reputation at home and abroad. But for the French public, still scarred by the ISIS- and al-Qaeda-affiliated terror attacks of the past decade, international sporting events provoke as much anxiety as they do excitement.
Knowing that the success or failure of the Olympics will be scrutinized worldwide, and highly alert to the possibilities of sabotage or an embarrassment like last year’s Champions League final, President Emmanuel Macron’s government is proposing a massive expansion of the national security and surveillance apparatus. Although the expansion is slated to expire in 2025, given the legacy of terror attacks and the politically permissive atmosphere of the Games, it appears likely the French government is attempting to use the Olympics as a smokescreen for a permanent expansion of its surveillance infrastructure.
While France has long benefited from its close relationship with the United States, the two countries often find themselves at policy odds. The Trump presidency strained Franco-American relations, and tensions have continued into the Biden administration. Macron’s government has expressed disapproval of subsidies for US manufacturers written into The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, calling for global approaches to new climate infrastructure rather than protectionism. In 2021, the United States undermined a $66 billion submarine deal between France and Australia, exacerbating France’s sense that it is being abandoned by its traditional allies and prompting international debate over whether it should still be considered a global power in the 21st century….