Bangladesh, July 13 -- French President Emmanuel Macron has been vocal about the strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific for France and Europe, positioning Paris as a pivotal player in a region central to global geopolitics. Yet, as France seeks to expand its influence in this vast and contested theater, the unresolved crisis in New Caledonia (NC) — a French overseas territory in the Pacific — casts a long shadow over its aspirations.

The ongoing push for sovereignty in New Caledonia, coupled with a forthcoming summit hosted by France to address the territorys future, reveals a tension: Pariss ambitions in the Indo-Pacific are increasingly at odds with both its neocolonial legacy and the broader objectives of the West, parti...