France Between Heat Shock and Nervousness: A Nation Under Constant Stress

On this Thursday, France is experiencing one of those political and social moments when seemingly separate events suddenly create a shared mood. The extraordinary heatwave, the appeal trial against former President Nicolas Sarkozy, new security debates in cities, concerns about purchasing power and energy, and hopes for a successful football summer combine into a picture of national tension. The French press increasingly describes the country not as a society of individual crises, but as a republic under permanent pressure. Remarkable is especially how closely climate issues, public order, political authority, ...