Staff Reports
France just unveiled a jaw-dropping deal: President Emmanuel Macron announced a $7.2 billion agreement with Saudi investment to build three theme parks near Paris — one billed as a Dragon Ball Z park. The projects will be built in Cergy-Pontoise and funded by Qiddiya Investment, a unit of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). Macron says this will create 22,000 jobs and is “nothing like this since Disneyland Paris.” Sounds exciting — and it should make any sensible voter ask a few blunt questions.
Macron’s manga flex and Saudi cash
Make no mistake: this is Macron wearing his Kamehameha pose while rolling out the red carpet for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The president admits he’s a fan of manga and cheered the deal on social media. Fine — leaders can have hobbies. The problem is when personal fandom helps sell big slices of national soil to a foreign sovereign wealth fund. Qiddiya and the PIF are Saudi state-linked vehicles. When state-backed money buys massive projects on French turf, the transaction is never just economic. It’s political. That’s the part the champagne flutes won’t mention.
Jobs headline vs. real accountability
Follow the money — and the hires
Macron promises 22,000 jobs. Headlines love a round number. Voters should ask: what kinds of jobs, for how long, and will French workers really benefit? Tourist projects often promise construction jobs and seasonal hires, not long-term, high-paying careers. More to the point, what guarantees come with foreign state sponsorship? Will contracts favor Saudi-linked firms? Will key management be foreigners answerable more to Riyadh than to Paris? France needs ironclad transparency on hiring, labor standards, and ownership — not just glossy renderings and photo-ops.
Soft power, pop culture, and who’s shaping the narrative
It’s odd but telling that a Japanese franchise will be financed by Saudi money and set up near Paris. Dragon Ball Z is a cultural heavyweight, beloved worldwide. Using beloved pop culture as a vehicle for foreign investment is a classic soft-power play. Saudi Arabia has been trying to remake its image abroad. Investing billions to build theme parks in Europe is a smart public relations move for them — and an easy way to curry favor. If France values its culture and independence, it should demand safeguards so that artistic and commercial choices aren’t quietly steered by an autocratic government with a record critics find troubling.
Conclusion: Welcome to the new tourist pitch — with conditions
Yes, tourists will come. Yes, a Dragon Ball Z park sounds fun. But fun can’t be the only metric. France should welcome investment that creates real, stable jobs and respects civic values. It should not let headline-grabbing deals become a way to outsource influence to foreign rulers. Macron’s “Choose France” pitch should include “Choose transparency” and “Choose accountability.” Otherwise, the next big attraction might be a royal PR booth next to the roller coaster — and that’s a line no patriot should be excited to stand in.
