Between Emmanuel Macron and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, an unprecedented and controversial meeting

Emmanuel Macron will be on Saturday December 4 the first Western president to appear alongside the Crown Prince ofArabia Arabia, Mohammed ben Salman. Emmanuel’s image Macron goesdoes it suffer? “En Saudi Arabia, we will be grateful to him for having reintegrated the kingdom and its strongman into the international community, at least symbolically. Obviously, in the West, human rights defenders and opponents of the Saudi regime will feel that this visit was unnecessary. “, explains Aurélien Denizeau, specialist in the geopolitics of the Middle East, on franceinfo Friday night.

“The problem that arises is to know how far the question of economic contracts and diplomatic agreements can legitimize a silence or even an indulgence on the part of certain Western leaders with regard to allied regimes. Another question: what will the weapons sold be used for? Can France be an accomplice in war crimes?“, wonders this doctor in political science and international relations.

At Emmanuel Macron’s, “he There is a desire to demonstrate activism, to play on the effacement of the United States to show that France can be an alternative partner, even a mediator. But our influence has declined a lot in the Middle East “, concludes Aurélien Denizeau.