Think the Republican Party has drifted distressingly far to the right? Get a load of what's happening in France.
As author Ben Judah notes in an informative tweet thread, French-Jewish intellectual Eric Zemmour recently made news by suggesting that parts of northern Italy rightly belonged to France. "There is no difference between Milan and Nice. It's the same people, the same town, the same architecture, the same state of mind." It would be one thing if the person fantasizing about moving France's borders roughly 200 miles into a neighboring country was just some crackpot talking head. But Zemmour is contemplating a run for the French presidency and is already polling at more than 5 percent while positioning himself to the right of Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Zemmour wouldn't be making headway if he wasn't tapping into a broad-based shift in political mood that has the right surging in France. While Le Pen's party appears to be diminished in strength relative to where it was a few years ago, some of that support has moved to Zemmour further out on the right, as well as to the center-right Republican party, which has gained by adopting more conservative positions in recent years. Then there are polls that reveal a country plagued by pessimism: 45 percent apparently believe France is on the verge of a civil war, with 73 percent going further to describe the country as "falling apart."
In a political environment like that, the ominous fact is that anything could happen — including Eric Zemmour or someone similarly disposed gaining political power.
-
The app tackling porn addictionUnder the Radar Blending behavioural science with cutting-edge technology, Quittr is part of a growing abstinence movement among men focused on self-improvement
-
Magazine solutions - August 29, 2025Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 29, 2025
-
Magazine printables - August 29, 2025Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 29, 2025
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
The France-Indonesia push for an Israeli-Palestinian two-state solutionTalking Points Both countries have said a two-state solution is the way to end the Middle East conflict
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weaponsThe Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarrayIn the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
