Photo: Rafael Garcin, Unsplash
December 2024.
As part of the program Regional Initiative for combating disinformation “Western Balkans Combatting disinformation Center: Exposing malicious influences through fact-checking and Analytical Journalism“, we present you a new analysis of fake news and disinformation narratives.
Degradation of Political Elites in the West: France – the Homeland of Imperialism, Colonialism, and Trade
https://lat.rt.rs/svet/122384-degradacija-politickih-elita-na-zapau/
Harsh criticism of political elites, particularly liberal ones, in leading Western countries has become a staple of reporting on international affairs by Russian media, as well as pro-Russian outlets worldwide. The “decline” of the so-called collective West, the “degradation” of traditional values, and the “detachment” of the political establishment from ordinary citizens in Western European countries and the U.S. are key themes in the narratives consistently promoted by these media.
An illustrative example is an article published by the Serbian service of the Russian state media outlet Russia Today, titled “Degradation of Political Elites in the West: France – the Homeland of Imperialism, Colonialism, and Trade.” RT sought to analyze the causes and implications of the downfall of Michel Barnier’s government in France, relying on opinion pieces by critically oriented foreign analysts.
The introduction emphasizes that the fall of Michel Barnier’s government is a “symptom of the disease afflicting the entire West” and that it “reflects the general trend of a deep crisis in the Western world.” The author highlights that the French minority government, formed after chaotic snap parliamentary elections in which none of the three political blocs secured the necessary majority, lasted only three months before French President Emmanuel Macron quickly decided to appoint a new candidate for prime minister. It is claimed that although “resignation is not even crossing President Macron’s mind…(this) calls into question his political future as well.” RT asserts that this is “yet another piece of evidence that France has become a failed state in the 21st century.”
In its coverage of the French political crisis, Russia Today also cites the views of a Russian political commentator who illustrates the crisis by stating that “ordinary people have lost faith in the functioning of political systems.” “In the West, a policy of double standards and extreme hypocrisy has become entirely normal…this has become the usual state of affairs for the entire collective West, where the ruling elites have completely alienated themselves from the people,” the Russian political analyst concluded. RT also conveyed his prediction that “we will witness new political cataclysms across a range of (Western) countries.”
The RT article was further supplemented by segments from an analysis by an expert from the Pan-African University, who examined the international dimensions of the French political crisis—an analysis that unsurprisingly aligned with the aforementioned narratives. In this way, the opinion was highlighted that France had “replaced its former greatness with an illusion of prosperity, and the erosion of its sovereignty only proves that it has lost the power to make independent decisions.” RT specifically emphasized the statement that “Paris should focus on the strategic goals of its own country instead of engaging in a failed proxy war against Russia in Ukraine.” It was once again concluded that “today’s France is increasingly resembling another failed state—Ukraine—completely subordinated to the interests of its transatlantic ally, the United States.”
The analysis of the fall of Michel Barnier’s government, framed within broader claims about the weakening of France’s geopolitical position, aligns with the typical anti-Western narratives promoted by Russian state media. Certain assertions, such as the concluding remarks depicting France as a “failed state,” reflect highly politically charged opinions and viewpoints that lack a solid foundation in reality or any supporting arguments.
Author: Igor Mirosavljević
