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PARIS – President Trump's "America First" nationalism was repudiated on Sunday as world leaders gathered to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armistice that ended the First World War and reaffirmed international ties who have been hurt again.
US President Emmanuel Macron took advantage of the ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe to denounce selfish nationalism and exalt the kind of globalism and international institutions that Mr. Trump spent for two years. the United States far from.
"Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism," Macron said in a speech delivered on a sullen, rain-soaked day. "Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism saying," our interest first, who cares about others? "
Recalling the forces that led to the First World War, Mr. Macron warned that "old demons" resurfaced and said that "yield to the fascination of withdrawal, isolationism, violence and domination would be a grave mistake that future generations make us responsible. "
The ceremony summed up the tension on the international scene as Mr. Trump sought to rewrite the rules that have governed the world in recent decades. Mr. Trump argued that other countries had benefited from the United States, whether in economic or security terms, and that it was time to take up US interests in the United States. first.
He has released the country from a number of international agreements on trade, nuclear proliferation and climate change, as well as decried alliances such as NATO and the United States. European Union. He denounced virtually all of the US trade agreements and recently forced Canada and Mexico to revise the North American Free Trade Agreement in a way that he believes will benefit more. in the USA.
During last month's election campaign, Mr. Trump criticized what he called the "rule of corrupt and power-hungry globalists," as he stated at a rally at Houston. "You know what's a globalist, right? You know what's a globist? A globalist is a person who wants the globe to do well, frankly, does not care so much about our country. And you know what? We can not have that. "
Tensions arose during the President's meeting with Mr Macron on Saturday, a day after Mr Trump launched a Twitter attack on his French host, calling for a proposal for a European army "very insulting. "Mr. Macron explained that the idea was not to counter the United States, but to relieve him of some of the burden on European security, a recurring theme of Mr. Trump.
"We know where we do not agree, and we are very clear on this – on climate, trade, multilateralism – but we work very well together because we have very regular and direct discussions" Macron said later in an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria. Mr. Macron is described as "patriotic" as opposed to "nationalist".
"I defend my country. I believe we have a strong identity, "said Mr. Macron. "But I strongly believe in cooperation between different peoples and I firmly believe that this cooperation is good for everyone, where nationalists are sometimes much more based on a unilateral approach and the law of the stronger, which is not It's not my case. "
In addition to their frictions, Mr. Trump's two-day visit to Paris was marred by his decision on Saturday to remove a scheduled visit from American Cemetery of Aisne-Marne at the foot of the hill where took place the Battle of Belleau Wood. Helps cited the rain canceling a helicopter flight, but it went wrong in Europe. The grandson of Winston Churchill called Mr. Trump "pathetic"And not fit to represent the United States.
Mr. Trump has another chance to pay tribute to the dead of the war on Sunday, when he must go to the American cemetery of Suresnes, near Paris. But he will not stay for a Paris-sponsored peace forum, which will bring world leaders together to discuss ways to avoid conflict.
On the other hand, Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, representing the two nations that were once fierce enemies, demonstrated the close friendship that has emerged from the rubble of the war. During the appearances this weekend, the French and German leaders seemed affectionate and Mr. Macron then published a photo of the two hands that stood with the single word "United" or "United".
Under the leadership of Mr. Macron, dozens of world leaders marched Sunday on the Champs-Elysees under a black umbrella as rain fell and soldiers wearing feathered helmets and carrying swords were on the lookout .
At the Arc de Triomphe, the bells sounded exactly a century after the guns were silenced at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, but the moment of symbolism was lost while the rulers supposed to stand together were always in place, and neither the US nor Russian Presidents have yet arrived.
Mr. Trump arrived in his own motorcade, traveling separately, said assistants, for security reasons, and joined world leaders under a transparent enclosure at the bow. Then Russian President Vladimir V. Putin arrived, approached Mr. Trump, shook his hand and gave him a friendly pat on the arm before taking his place.
The leaders of Britain, the other main ally of the war, were absent from the ceremony. Prime Minister Theresa May and members of the royal family attended their country's commemorations on Sunday, but Ms. May made a visit to France and Belgium on Friday to lay wreaths on the graves of soldiers killed during World War I.
Even a century later, the First World War remains a memory that resonates on a continent devastated by an unprecedented conflict. From their beginnings in 1914, Allies led by the British, French and Russians fought alongside the central powers led by Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire in a brutal war and bestial, characterized by trench warfare, chemical weapons and aerial bombardments.
The United States resisted until 1917, when they joined the Allies and sent expeditionary forces that finally reversed the balance against Germany, which surrendered in 1918. total, some 8.5 million soldiers and seven million civilians were killed. The war also shook the world map with the fall of empires, the redistribution of settlements and the creation of new nations; the Middle East lines were redrawn and the Bolsheviks came to power during the Russian revolution.
The peace that was established 100 years ago proved to be a peace of the victors thanks to the Treaty of Versailles, and the League of Nations created at that time did not become the guarantor of peace that it was supposed to be. Instead, the world is plunged back into the war two decades later.
But Mr. Macron said that ashes from these two wars sprang out of hope. "This hope is called the European Union, a union freely entered, never seen in history, a union that freed us from our civil wars," he said. "This hope is called the United Nations Organization, pledge of the spirit of cooperation for the defense of the common good of the world, whose destiny is effectively bound and which draws lessons from the Society of Nations and the Treaty. from Versailles. "
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, King Felipe VI of Spain, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, President Petro O. Poroshenko of Ukraine and dozens of other representatives were present Sunday. Five jets flew over the vault marching the blue, white and red flag of the French flag.
The ceremony, to some extent franco-centric in Paris, made a palpable effort to reach countries that have lost hundreds of thousands of people, even millions in the case of Germany and France. from Russia.
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed the Sarabande in Johann Sebastian Bach's cello sequel, and Angélique Kidjo sang "Blewu", a song of gratitude for the dedication of others, composed by a Togolese singer in the Mina language.
While the Marseillaise, the French national anthem, opened the ceremony, the most moving moments are those where students in yellow scarf read centenarian letters from eight men and women who fought or lived during the First World War.
The students of the Albert Schweitzer High School in Seine-Saint-Denis, one of the busiest suburbs of Paris, read the letters in the language in which they were written: English, French and German, among others. Then a Russian conductor led the European Youth Orchestra performing a dark excerpt from Maurice Ravel's Boléro.
"The traces of this war have never faded from French soil. They have not disappeared from Europe, the Middle East and our memories, "said Mr. Macron. "Let's not forget, because the memory of these sacrifices pushes us to be worthy of those who died for us so that we can live free."
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