Emmanuel Macron is a highly intelligent man and a profound, articulate thinker. He is also the President of France. Outside observers sometimes find it difficult to distinguish between the two, particularly if they come from a country less cerebral than France. A few weeks ago, Macron gave a long interview to the French magazine, Le grand continent. In his long talk, Macron had a lot to say, most of which was stimulating, about many subjects: population growth, relations with Africa, the Covid-19 pandemic, populism and nationalism. He also delivered a robust and, at least for me, convincing defence of his position on Islamist terror and extremism. One of the main issues is his longstanding support for European integration, the major cornerstone of his vision. Although he stops short of defining the form that this political Europe should take, the concept of European sovereignty and “strategic autonomy” is at the centre of his vision. Other issues are also given prominence and are especially interesting for the outside observer.

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