PART 1: FRANCE IS NOTHING WITHOUT AFRICA

France maintains significant economic interests in Africa, particularly in sectors such as energy, mining, agriculture and telecommunications. Africa is also an important trading partner for France. French companies export goods and services to African markets, while also importing natural resources and raw materials from the continent.

However, recent military coups in Africa - in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger - have seen France’s influence wane on our continent, making its neocolonial exploitation (on which it depends) harder to maintain.

Some are speculating that France is getting so desperate that President Macron is preparing to gamble everything. In this clip, Isa - a TikTok content creator and all-round commentator on things geopolitical - explains why he thinks France will try to escalate Russia’s war on Ukraine into a Third World War… to save itself, or make sure everyone else goes down with it!

That might sound like a bit of a leap from losing influence in the Sahel, but hear Isa out and let us know what you make of his theory in the comments.