France — The Republic at Stall Speed
France is still the Republic of Light — but the light flickers under its own contradictions.
Version 1.0 — October 2025
Risk Tier: Tier II- (Leaning III) – Resilient Core, Politically Brittle
Use Case: European Anchor, Cultural Power, Mobility Bridge
A Narrative Interlude: The Republic as Feedback Loop
France remains Europe’s archetype — rational, centralized, brilliant, and burdened by its own success. The Fifth Republic still projects competence: superb infrastructure, universal healthcare, rule-of-law reliability, and a global cultural halo unmatched by any other state its size.
Yet its political metabolism appears to have stalled.
Macron’s government now governs by procedural brinkmanship. Five prime ministers in three years; no 2026 budget; a parliament that no longer legislates but blocks. Streets fill with protesters at the faintest whisper of reform. The Republic bends without breaking — but every cycle of deadlock drains legitimacy, narrows civic imagination, and tightens fiscal constraint. France is not a failed state; it is a tired empire of competence, coasting on inertia.