By Sébastien Chenu, French National Assembly deputy
Published on
•Updated
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent in any way the editorial position of Euronews.
French poet Jean de La Fontaine wrote in The Wolf and the Lamb that “the reason of the strongest is always the best.”
We should harbour no illusions: Nicolás Maduro is nothing like a lamb. And accusing Donald Trump of being a wolf, as the left does, is a bit too easy.
The most serious crises arise when the legality and the legitimacy of an action do not align.
From the standpoint of international law, the action undertaken by the United States is illegal. Nevertheless, its legitimacy can be questioned.
More than the drug trafficking for which Maduro and his wife have just been indicted —and for which they will have to answer before US courts — the Venezuelan president was above all a tyrant whose downfall delighted millions of people.
The National Rally has never refrained from denouncing the dictator idolised by a segment of the French left.
But the arrest of Maduro, in violation of Venezuela’s territorial integrity, cannot fail to raise serious concerns. Concerns, because sovereignty is not negotiable!
Focus on our own interests
Without sovereignty, there is no state. France knows this well, as its sovereignty has been trampled for decades by a European Union ever more distant from peoples and nations. “Europe means peace,” we are told ad nauseam by the euro-enthusiasts.
But when the sword, more than peace, makes our age tremble, France can rely only on itself. It is urgent to rearm and, first and foremost, to think about our own security.
Security and sovereignty can only be ensured through an ambitious defence policy. The increase in our budget in this area — more than €6.5 billion in 2026 — is far too small.
By way of reminder, in 1960 the share of GDP devoted to defence was 6.1%. This year it is estimated at 2.06%.
What do those few billion and those few percentage points amount to in an age as violent as ours, when the whole world is rearming?
But France is not only familiar with the sword. It also knows the pen. Alongside great captains, it has also produced brilliant diplomats — men who, throughout history, have succeeded in making France’s singular voice heard on the international stage.
Our seat on the UN Security Council, as well as our nuclear deterrent, must enable us to chart our own course. We must take back the initiative in diplomacy and focus solely on our national interests.
To paraphrase Charles de Gaulle: France has no friends, it has only interests.
Sébastien Chenu is a deputy of the French National Assembly for the National Rally party (RN).