France’s Coronavirus Vaccine Failures: Three Conclusions

Of all the peoples of the Earth, perhaps only Americans and Russians spend more time thinking about the soul of their nation than the French do. There’s a preoccupation with the national character in France — a kind of incessant introspection, obsessed with diagnosing the metaphysical maladies of the country — that’s especially pronounced. General de Gaulle summed up the attitude of the French to their motherland when he said that “France cannot be France without greatness.” When this greatness is manifestly absent, a crisis of confidence habitually flares up in the French body politic.

The global race to vaccinate the public against COVID-19 has triggered just such a crisis. As I detailed this past week, the European Union’s handling of vaccine procurement and distribution has been criminally bad. The Europeans are desperately in need of new vaccine patents after the EU bungled its contract with AstraZeneca.

About the Author

Cameron Hilditch

Cameron Hilditch was a 2020-2021 William F. Buckley Fellow in Political Journalism at National Review Institute.

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Of all the peoples of the Earth, perhaps only Americans and Russians spend more time thinking about the soul of their nation than the French do. There’s a preoccupation with the national character in France — a kind of incessant introspection, obsessed with diagnosing the metaphysical maladies of the country — that’s especially pronounced. General de Gaulle summed up the attitude of the French to their motherland when he said that “France cannot be France without greatness.” When this greatness is manifestly absent, a crisis of confidence habitually flares up in the French body politic.

The global race to vaccinate the public against COVID-19 has triggered just such a crisis. As I detailed this past week, the European Union’s handling of vaccine procurement and distribution has been criminally bad. The Europeans are desperately in need of new vaccine patents after the EU bungled its contract with AstraZeneca.