Emmanuel Macron’s interview in this week’s Economist is a must-read. He issues a lot of stark warnings and a hint of optimism. At risk of over-simplification, his argument is that Europe needs to rearm if Putin is to be deterred. The Russian dictator will not stop at Ukraine, so he must be stopped soon. Macron reminds us of the build-up to World Wars 1 and 2 and the failures of leadership that took Europe and the world into disaster. ‘Civilisations can disappear very quickly’.
Macron famously once thought that Putin could be negotiated with. It’s been quite a journey for the French President.
Macron is absolutely right. With the right choices, Europe can thrive in the face of Russian (and other) challenges. But those choices do have to be made.
Relatedly, Edward Luce in this weekend’s Financial Times adds to the already vast literature on what to expect from the next Trump Presidency. Like Macron. Luce says that Europe is faced with quite possibly an existential challenge. Which it can choose to meet. Or not.
A Europe absorbed by petty nationalism and immigration won’t survive. Big choices lie in our very near future.
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