Levant is an old term indicating the area of the Middle East along the eastern Mediterranean. The term entered modern usage from French, but the word is derived from Italian. The original meaning had to do with “rising”, indicating the rising of the sun in the east. The French used the word in their mandate over Syria and Lebanon after World War I.
The experience of the French was quite wide-spread in earlier days, not only in Syria and Lebanon, but also in other areas of the Middle East and North Africa. With the rise of the US in the region, the role of France declined.
But now, as we see the US moving to a more isolationist position, France, under the leadership of Emmanuel Macron, is asserting its role in the area. Macron wants France to become a “great power” again. He has begun the process by inserting himself as an intermediary between the US and Russia. He plans to visit Putin in St. Petersburg later this year. He recently intervened in the crisis over the resignation of Saad Hariri, the Lebanese Prime Minister, assisting in Hariri’s restoration. Thirdly Macron has acted to mediate the ongoing Gulf crisis between Qatar and four other Arab states.
These moves represent France’s intent to replace the role of the US in the region, an effort at globalism versus isolationism.
How may these events affect the US in the long-term? How may they affect the Middle East?
