Asian Angle | French President Emmanuel Macron’s embrace of diverse views offers hope for ‘true multilateralism’
- French president’s forum on universalism aims to boost understanding of diverse opinions and give them a platform to be heard
- Countries urged to speak out against US-China tensions, promote true dialogue and build partnerships to solve world’s problems
I think I may have made President Emmanuel Macron blush a little.
This happened at the Paris Peace Forum on November 11. Macron had invited me to join a panel discussion with him, the presidents of Argentina and Guinea-Bissau, the prime minister of Albania, and other “intellectuals” (in the words of Macron).
The subject was “universalism in the face of war”. By universalism, the organisers were referring to the universal principles embedded in our global multilateral system.
I may have made Macron blush by saying he represented humanity’s last great hope for saving multilateralism. To explain this hope, I made three points.
First, having heard Macron speak in various forums, I know he genuinely believes in multilateralism as the fundamental cure for our world’s ills. So do I.
Second, France is a country of some significance. What it says carries weight. So does the voice of Macron.
Third, multilateralism is clearly under threat. The time and energy Macron devoted to this panel reconfirmed his commitment to it.
