The violence and vandalism that followed the murder of the young Algerian Nahel, stupidly shot by a policeman, shook one of the most consolidated democracies of European liberalism.
There are great lessons to be learned there. A country that welcomes so many millions of emigrants – giving them opportunities they didn’t have in their home countries – fails to integrate them. And with that it is upside down, torn apart by the resentment and radicalism of those to whom it has opened its borders.
It is difficult to understand what the French President has to do to restore social peace. But it is precisely in this environment that it is important to retain and value the common sense of the French President, when he refers to the urgency of reducing tension between China and the United States.
Basically, he explains, it is not possible to face global problems without a minimum of consensus between the two major powers. Chapeau Monsieur Macron.
With his own country on fire – who knows what fault of his own – Macron nevertheless shows a keen geopolitical awareness; and a common sense that is so often lacking in France – as you can see – and a little throughout the western world, starting with Washington.
In a recent interview with CNN star Fareed Zakaria, Macron makes his position clear: the problems we all face today; Existing – and latent – conflicts, including inescapable issues such as the redistribution of wealth, the climate agenda, the sustainable economy, or artificial intelligence… cannot in any way be addressed without bringing the two superpowers to the table for dialogue.
In other words, it is at the very least naive to conceive of modern civilization as if we lived in two worlds separated by ideological, economic… or geostrategic walls, within the growing tension between Beijing and Washington.
The appeal that Macron makes in this interview is not limited to the leaders of Biden and Xi Jinping, but rather to all those who today have global political responsibilities.
Macron says that it is in everyone’s interest – himself included – to find mechanisms that allow tension to be lowered, looking behind the scenes of international diplomacy for dialogue and the awareness that it is urgent to find common ground that everyone can step on, safely and in the interest of a planetary agenda. Whatever the differences that separate us.
The foreign community in Macau – Portuguese at the head – understands the issue very well. Because they are closer to China, because they chose to live here a long time ago, they learned to respect and admire different cultures and political views; without stirring up divergent political idiosyncrasies.
And this goes for both sides, whether the winds of discord blow from the east or the west. Deep down, this is the beauty of hybrid cities, which make the awareness that there are no absolute truths, and their ability to build bridges, their greatest economic, social and political asset.
Nowadays, it is a pleasure, and a source of pride, to have a Western-based culture, moderated by the respect and interest that Macao learns when including an Eastern perspective. Because this hybrid being develops a profound awareness of the lack of sense that radicalism generates, no matter where he comes from.
Macron is absolutely right. And Macau has all the conditions to be part of this common sense. It is not even a moral or ideological issue. The radicalism of convictions is today a threat to the very survival of the world as we know it.
Director General of the Plataforma*
