In this Geopolitical Trends video, host David Oualaalou examines the mounting social unrest in France and its broader geopolitical implications. He begins by questioning whether a trade war between the United States and the European Union is looming, linking the tension to the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and France’s vocal opposition. Oualaalou then shifts focus to France’s domestic crisis: a resurgence of the Yellow Vest movement sparked by soaring inflation, a 60%+ rise in food prices, and a controversial pension‑reform law. He cites on‑the‑ground quotes from protestors Jamal Bouhabban and a recently retired citizen named Marie, portraying the demonstrations as near‑civil‑war conditions across major cities (Paris, Toulouse, Strasbourg). The commentator criticises the perceived leadership vacuum in the EU, naming Viktor Orbán as a rare exception, and denounces EU leaders for prioritising defense spending and Ukraine aid over citizens’ welfare. He contrasts this with a perceived media blackout on the protests and draws a parallel to similar unrest in other European nations. Finally, Oualaalou asks viewers to consider whether the United States stands to lose more from a full‑blown trade war with the EU than with China, urging audience engagement and promising future content on governmental mistrust.
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Hello everybody and welcome to Geopolitical Trends. My name is David Oualaalou. So good to be with you as always. Is a trade war between the United States and the European Union, the EU, on the horizon? In this video, I'm going to provide you a brief assessment as to what lies ahead regarding this issue. But before I do this, if you like the content of my videos, and want to show your support for this channel, consider becoming either a member or a supporter, whatever you feel comfortable with. Also, if you are new to this channel, please make sure to hit the subscribe button because I am on a mission to help as many people as possible to become informed and well-versed. And I can only do this if you are subscribed. And while at it, Make sure to hit the like button because that's what motivates me to create more content of interest to you. And thank you very much for your support. Let's dive in into this. France retaliates against US Inflation Reduction Act. You all remember when Congress passed this legislation a few months ago. What it looks like, France and Germany, uh, the two biggest European economies are leading the sort of the outrage from the front. Especially France is doing that. Uh, looks like the whispers of a potential EU versus US trade war filled the power hallways in, in both locations, Brussels and Washington. Those are behind closed doors. That's— there is my possibility for that. But for the EU, the European Union bloc that is, which is fighting a colossal energy crisis and a struggling economy, now they are dealing with losing businesses to their ally, the United States. So, and this, in my opinion, will cause serious trouble for European leaders if there are any leaders left. As a matter of fact, I don't shy away from saying there is a deficiency of leadership in the Western world. So European Union have no leaders whatsoever. You take few exceptions, like for example the Hungarian president Viktor Orbán. There are some few, but they are taking stand on the issues. So, uh, and here's the thing: Brussels, the headquarters of where the EU is, thought it needed something more. And this is why France has indicated a plan sort of to take on the US head-on. Well, good luck with that, you know. France or Germany or the EU for that matter is so weak, I just don't see them doing any of that. But here is the thing, there are much bigger issues for France than dealing with this issue, and I'm talking about domestic issues, which by the way we have not heard about. That is why I decided to provide you this, or to do this video here to highlight to you the importance of this. What am I talking about? Well, this of course statement by France comes on the heels of inflation and rising prices, which are among the most important topics discussed by French citizens, you know. And I have my contacts in France, so, and I— they are very, very furious shall we say, with the government policies. You all remember the yellow vest— vest is a French word for jacket— you all remember the yellow vest demonstrations that took place a couple years ago. Well, guess what? They are back on the street demanding a raise in wages, or rising wages, that is, and improved living conditions. So they wanted the government to raise wages, okay, and also to improve the living conditions of French people. So the yellow vest movements took to the street 2 days ago, or actually yesterday. By the time you watch this video, it will be a few days anyway. And the demonstrations took place in Paris, the capital of course France, Toulouse, Strasbourg, Strasbourg, and other cities in France. After it posted calls for rallies, uh, in recent days on social media platforms. So it looks like some French people responded by descending to the streets. You know, the movement started, of course, with the participation of none other than trade unions from the 7th arrondissement in Paris. And basically what they did is they marched towards the Ministry of Economy to demand higher wages and better living conditions. Talking about taking action, taking initiative, you know, what are we doing here in the US? You look at in UK, there are demonstrations in UK. What are we doing here in the US? Because the population is so busy, occupied. So The demonstrations come at a time when the government of the French President Emmanuel Macron is facing harsh criticism from his opponents, you know, on a host of issues. But of course, the, the key issues that they are talking about is inflation rate, which is very high, and the increase of food prices, which, by the way, it reached about 60% or more based on some stats, and I will provide you a link to where I get this information here, you know. And there is another issue that is looming large right now in France. It has to do with the pension reform law that the French government wants to pass, and French people won't have it, especially the ones who are about to retire. And I'm gonna provide you some quotes to put things in perspective. For you. Just for those who are not familiar with the Yellow Vest movement, the movement organized its first demonstration back in November, if I recall, November 17, 2018, you know. And the reason it went on the street is to denounce the rise in fuel prices at that time and taxes, you know. And was able— this movement was able to attract hundreds of thousands of French people in all cities, you know. So now Yellow Vests returned to protest again in France, and tight security, because the images that I had a chance to see, you look like it's a civil war zone. That's what it looks like. So, and here's the thing. There are reasons for why those demonstrations took place. The high prices have hit the French people very, very hard. One of the Yellow Vest movement members, his name is— I found the quote here— Jamal Bouhabban. I hope I pronounced it correctly. And he stated to Al Jazeera correspondent, and I quote here, he said, and I quote, We want out today for all the French people who are dying of hunger, of hunger because of the high prices they can no longer afford, end of quote. He added that now the demonstrations or the movements are vowing to hold more demonstrations in the future. So for this, this member of this Yellow Vest movement. For him, the movement has not forgotten its members who were injured in previous demonstrations, you know. On the other hand, there is another attendee or demonstrator by the name Marie. I don't know who she is, but I found her quote very interesting. But what's interesting about this demonstrator is that she has just been retired for only like 2 years ago. And she said, and I quote, she described the police vehicles scattered on the streets of the cities where demonstrations took place, and I quote here, "As if it were a civil war waged by a frustrated and burdened people with government that controls their destinies," end of quote. She also added, and I quote here, "I am joining today to add my voice to the retirees and employees who strongly reject the pension law that Macron wants to impose on us. To be frank, my salary is barely enough now." End of quote. What does it tell you? It shows you where the French society is headed. And all this has to do with the policies that France, along with other EU members like Germany, Italy, have embarked on, especially when it comes down to energy and when it comes down to the financial aid that most of their money is going to Ukraine. Go figure. This is why I said earlier What leaders are we talking about? Leaders won't behave in this way. Leaders will put— true leaders will put the welfare of their constituents first. Yeah, not their political career, because that's what it is. And shame on those leaders. I'll say it straightforward. So, so, so here's the thing. What these demonstrations demonstrate or exhibit is that a complete rejection of Emmanuel— President Macron's government decisions regarding these pension plans and the high inflation and the high— and the rise in food prices and so forth. So the rejection of Macron, of President Macron's policy by many French people, is one of the main reasons for the protests. And yet I'm gonna ask you a question. Have you heard about the demonstrations taking place in France? So it looks like, as I always say, there is a media blackout on this. This is no different than the demonstrations that taking place in Germany, in the UK, in Italy, and other European countries, and for the right reason. You get these two main reasons: inflation and rising prices have become one of the most important topics discussed by citizens in France because inflation almost reaching 6% last month, which is the end of the year. But to French people, that's too much, you know. And here is my conclusion for you, and I wanted you to put this in perspective because this might sound a different point, but it's linked. Well, what just happened yesterday? NATO and the EU, the European Union, signed a declaration of cooperation and coordination which includes commitments to support Ukraine in the face of Russia. It's like, go figure, right? You know, even the European Council President, Charles Michel, whatever his name is, Yeah, Charles Michel said that the two sides, meaning the European Union and NATO, have agreed on more investments. Get this, guys, not in the economy, in defense. Okay, stressing that a strong Europe leads to strong NATO. You can just see how stupid, how pathetic those leaders are, and yet the average citizen And by the way, this is not just in Europe. We have the same problem here, except that here in America we got our fellow citizens that are so distracted. This is why I'm hoping to help people become aware. So if you happen to be an American watching this, you need to open your eyes and see the reality for what it is. Because it really, it pains me to say this as an American, and you realize most of the American people have no clue about what's going on. You know, we all know you can't trust the government, you know, and I will release a video for you about the mistrust in the government and why that is, and rightly so. So here's my question for you for today: do you believe the United States has more to lose from a full-blown trade war with the EU than it does with China? Let me repeat the question: do you believe the United States has more to lose from a full-blown trade war with the EU than it does with China? Make sure to leave me some comments. Like I always say, I like to read your feedback, and I can't thank you enough for your perspective because I'm learning from it a lot. So as always, remember, geopolitics impact your daily life in more ways than one. Till next time, guys. Bye-bye.
