Skip to content
Search
Human content, AI powered search.

Latest Stories

What We're Watching

Macron rolls the dice on France’s future

​French President Emmanuel Macron attends a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the massacre of 643 persons by Nazi German forces, in Oradour-sur-Glane, France, June 10, 2024.

French President Emmanuel Macron attends a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the massacre of 643 persons by Nazi German forces, in Oradour-sur-Glane, France, June 10, 2024.

LUDOVIC MARIN/Pool via REUTERS
Riley Callanan
By Riley CallananJune 10, 2024
Riley Callanan

Riley is a former writer and reporter for GZERO. When she isn’t writing about global politics, you can find her conducting research on American politics or persisting in her lifelong quest to learn French. Riley spends her time outside of work grilling, dancing, and wearing many hats (both literally and figuratively).

See Full Bio
Make us preferred on Google

Following a humbling 17-point defeat to Marine Le Pen’s far-right opposition party in the EU Parliament elections this weekend, France’s President Emmanuel Macron shocked the world by calling for snap elections to be held on June 30.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also suffered defeat to the far-right over the weekend, but he rejected demands for him to follow in Macron’s footsteps and call a snap election.

Macron’s logique: Macron is daring French voters to vote the same way domestically that they did this weekend for the European Parliament – which has long been seen as a protest vote.

According to Eurasia Group’s Europe director Mujtaba Rahman, “Macron believes he can defy the polls by confronting France with a stark choice between the pro-EU, pro-Ukraine & centrist status quo versus the existential risk of a far-right government.”

Macron is making a huge gamble on France's future. Polls suggest his centrist coalition will fail to win a majority, and if Le Pen’s National Rally picks up the most seats, France will be in uncharted waters. Le Pen has said she would partially withhold EU funding, toughen migration policy, infringe on the EU single market by prioritizing French business, and limit aid to Ukraine.
europepoliticsgamblefranceeupolitical riskeuropean parliament electionssnap electionsmacroneuropean unionelections 2024

Latest Videos

Going to the moon is easier than ever beforeplay icon
GZERO World Clips

Going to the moon is easier than ever before

What's it like to sleep in space?
GZERO World Clips

What's it like to sleep in space?

Lack of AI governance is a real threat
Quick Take

Lack of AI governance is a real threat

Hormuz Crisis SOLVED with stroke of a pen!
Puppet Regime

Hormuz Crisis SOLVED with stroke of a pen!

The US and China are racing to settle the moon
GZERO World Clips

The US and China are racing to settle the moon

Humanity's next giant leap in space exploration
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

Humanity's next giant leap in space exploration

More For You

Far-right AfD poised to win big state election in Germany, Nigel Farage engulfed in new scandal, Pentagon says location data was used to attack US troops

Alternative for Germany (AfD) top candidate Ulrich Siegmund speaks on stage as he campaigns ahead of the upcoming Saxony-Anhalt state elections, in Magdeburg, Germany.

Alternative for Germany (AfD) top candidate Ulrich Siegmund speaks on stage as he campaigns ahead of the upcoming Saxony-Anhalt state elections, in Magdeburg, Germany, September 4, 2026.

REUTERS/Annegret Hilse
Far-right AfD set to win German state election on SundayThe party, which opposes immigration and favors closer ties with Russia, has a double-digit polling lead in Saxony-Anhalt, a former East German region where many people have felt economically and socially left behind since reunification in 1989. That poses a big dilemma for German Chancellor [...]

Thousands rally against immigration in Spain, Mexico’s homicide rate falls, Xi pushes for new security framework in Middle East

Thousands of people gather at the Palacio de Cibeles, seat of the Madrid City Council, in Madrid, Spain during demonstrations held outside city halls in autonomous communities across Spain in protest of the mass entry of migrants at the Ceuta border.

Thousands of people gather at the Palacio de Cibeles, seat of the Madrid City Council, in Madrid, Spain, on September 2, 2024, during demonstrations held outside city halls in autonomous communities across Spain in protest of the mass entry of migrants at the Ceuta border.

Aaron Heredia/NurPhoto
Immigration protests rock Spain Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Spain on Wednesday in protest against Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s welcoming immigration policy and his handling of the immigration crisis in the North African Spanish enclave of Ceuta. In July, more than 70,000 people crossed into Ceuta from Morocco in the [...]

Germany accuses Russia of planning drone attack, New UK PM lays out his plan, US and Iran return to fighting but remain in a deadlock

A police officer in protective clothing walks next to an explosive-disarming robot (EOD) at Leipzig/Halle Airport.

A police officer in protective clothing walks next to an explosive-disarming robot (EOD) at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Schkeuditz, Germany, August 5, 2026

REUTERS/Axel Schmidt
Germany and EU to hit back at Russia over drone plot The German government has formally accused Russia of orchestrating a failed drone attack at Leipzig airport last month. The drone, which approached a cargo plane that was taking weapons to Ukraine, failed to explode as planned. In response, Berlin will shrink Russia’s diplomatic presence in [...]

Bond investors continue sell off, Israel looks to LatAm for new friends, Brazilian presidential candidates push for data centers

An electronic board displays that the secondary market yield on newly issued 10-year government bonds has risen to 3.000 percent, in Chuo Ward, Tokyo, Japan.

An electronic board displays that the secondary market yield on newly issued 10-year government bonds has risen to 3.000 percent, in Chuo Ward, Tokyo, Japan, on September 1, 2026.

Taketo Oishi / The Yomiuri Shimbun via Reuters Connect
Global bond-fire rages as investors fret about inflationInvestors around the world are selling off government bonds amid concerns about rising inflation and unsustainable spending by some large economies. The yield on 10-year bonds issued by Japan, for example, has reached its highest level in 30 years as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pushes a new [...]