Emmanuel Macron’s recent statement during the Conference of Ambassadors in January 2025 concerning the Franco-Moroccan partnership reveals a particularly problematic reading of bilateral relations.
The French head of state, by affirming that this partnership “must be one of our relays with regard to a reinvented African approach”, reveals a conception of international relations which seems out of step with contemporary geopolitical realities.
The use of the modal verb “must” in the presidential expression is symptomatic of a prescriptive approach which betrays the persistence of a post-colonial vision of international relations. This posture appears all the more anachronistic as it takes place in a context where Morocco has developed, for almost a decade, an autonomous and ambitious African strategy, formalized in particular in the royal speech of February 2014 in Abidjan.
The inadequacy of French reading is also manifested in the apparent ignorance of new regional dynamics. Contemporary Africa is characterized by the multiplication of South-South partnerships, the emergence of new regional powers, and a growing diversification of strategic alliances. In this context, the idea of “reinventing” the French approach through an instrumental partnership with Morocco demonstrates a persistent difficulty in understanding these structural transformations.
Rebuilding a balanced partnership would require a profound evolution of the French conception of international relations. This would involve in particular:
- The abandonment of a prescriptive posture in favor of an equal-to-equal dialogue
- Explicit recognition of Moroccan strategic autonomy
- The development of a truly multilateral approach
- The construction of projects based on a real convergence of interests
The presidential speech thus illustrates the limits of a French diplomacy which is struggling to truly reinvent itself. The use of “must” and the instrumental conception of partnership reveal a persistent difficulty in breaking out of historical relational patterns. This approach not only risks being counterproductive in the bilateral relationship with Morocco, but also more broadly compromising the French capacity to forge balanced partnerships on the African continent.
To rebuild a successful relationship, France should adopt a more humble and realistic approach, recognizing that Morocco, like other African countries, is pursuing its own strategic objectives. This would involve developing partnerships based not on a presumption of convergence of interests, but on a precise identification of mutually beneficial areas of cooperation.
The Franco-Moroccan partnership will only be able to develop harmoniously if France agrees to fundamentally rethink its conception of international relations, particularly in the African context. This development requires the abandonment of post-colonial reflexes in favor of an approach that fully recognizes the strategic autonomy of its partners.
