In “Les empires contre-attaquent. Défendre le socle laïque”, François Finck presents us with a geopolitical picture of the nationalist and imperialist threats at work in the world.
François Finck holds a doctorate in law from Strasbourg University and has taught at a number of European universities. He is currently in charge of European and international affairs for the Centre d’Action Laïque in Belgium. In particular, he is active with the European Secularist Network. After publishing “Les croisés de la contre-révolution” (The Crusaders of Counter-Revolution), in the same vein as his geopolitical analysis, he has just written “Les empires contre-attaquent. Défendre le socle laïque“. Both books have been published in the “Liberté, j’écris ton nom” collection.
It was the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army on 24 February 2022 that triggered the writing of this book. François Finck reminds us of Vladimir Putin’s ideology, as he himself expressed it in a little-known text: “On the historical unity of Russians and Ukrainians“. The Russian President’s imperialist policy features prominently in the book. Not only is the war taking place in the heart of Europe, but this regime is active in destabilising democracies and building alliances with various other autocracies.
François Finck describes the rise of nationalism since the 1990s. The notion of “illiberal democracy” is an oxymoron that seems to him to have little relevance. He suggests “electoral authoritarianism”, which is closer to the truth: there is still a form of political pluralism, and elections are free but not fair. Formal freedoms remain, which distinguishes them from dictatorial regimes proper.
Justifying the subtitle of his book “A Defense of secularist principles”, François Finck points out that these nationalist ideologies are often inseparable from religion. This is the case in Russia, where Metropolitan Kirill declares the Russian people to be “bearers of God”. It is also the case in Turkey, where President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has joined forces with ultra-nationalists to create a “Turkish-Islamist synthesis”. The same is true of India, where Narendra Modi has based his regime on ethnic nationalism linked to the notion of “Hindutva”, which can be translated as “Hindu-ness”, an essentialist ethnic-religious identity. The support, indeed the electoral base, of Donald Trump from Protestant fundamentalists is similarly decisive for the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement.
In the light of these observations, François Finck asks what can be done when secularist values are caught in the eye of the storm? He argues for the reaffirmation of an international law that occupies a central place in secularist ethics and method. The reform of the UN is a recurring issue. Yet it would be decisive. The aim is to make the aims and principles of the organisation effective. The fight for truth, history and universalism is ours. How and where can we find the strength to wage it? Certainly within ourselves! Without alienating ourselves from more subtle imperialisms like that of the USA. In “Les empires contre l’Europe” (Gallimard) , written in 1985, Régis Debray devoted himself to a geopolitical analysis of the situation at the time of the Soviet-American condominium over the world. He showed that power lay not only in raw military power, but also in what was not yet called ‘soft power’. Our future is definitely in our hands, and in our hands alone…
Charles Conte
