Evolution of Western Asia and North Africa Geopolitical Perceptions in French Foreign Policy Discourse from F. Holland to E. Macron

The paper is dedicated to the study of geopolitical perceptions of Western Asia and North Africa in the French foreign policy discourse during the administrations of François Hollande and Emmanuelle Macron. Despite the abundance of academic literature on the topic of Fifth Republic’s foreign policy, there is a lack of studies regarding French foreign policy discourse on the Middle East and North Africa in general. Using the theory of critical geopolitics and the method of critical discourse analysis, the author examines the evolution of the geopolitical images in the French foreign policy discourse by examining the speeches of French officials, strategic doctrinal documents and parliamentary reports, traces the changes in discursive paradigms and compares the results with the changes in the foreign policy of the French Republic in the period under review. The author concludes his work with a conclusion on the peculiarities of the evolution and constants of French foreign policy discourse.