World Politics News   Articles for World Politics Course

Many liberals have breathed a sigh of relief after the election of Emmanuel Macron in France.  And there are good reasons to be relieved, particularly after the strong of elections in Europe that have repudiated populist rhetoric.  Liberals, however, should not rest easy.  The situations in the US, Poland and Hungary remain difficult and Macron himself was elected as a candidate who did not represent “politics as usual”. Macron leads a very divided country with a failing economy and the French were captivated by Macron’s lack of baggage.  But he still has to deliver the goods, and if he fails to revive the French economy, the populists will be back stronger than ever.  As The Economist puts it:

“Once the victory celebrations on election night subside, Mr Macron will need to find a way to speak to the one-third who rejected him. Many of these angry voters are from small towns and rural parts that have lost jobs, factories and services, and see no benign side to globalisation. Some backed Mr Macron only to keep out Ms Le Pen. Others abstained or left their ballots blank, dismayed by the choice between what some called “cholera or the plague”: global finance or xenophobic nationalism. Ms Le Pen may be disappointed with her result, but she still set an FN record, nearly doubling the score her father achieved. Her party, and populism, will continue to weigh on French politics.”

The Washington Post is reporting that the Trump Administration is considering ramping up US military participation in Afghanistan.  According to the Post: “The plan envisions an increase of at least 3,000 U.S. troops to an existing force of about 8,400. The U.S. force would also be bolstered by requests for matching troops from NATO nations.”  At one point the US had 100,000 troops in Afghanistan and that number did not stabilize the security situation in the country.  There is no question that the situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating, but it is hard to fathom how revisiting a military solution to that problem offers any hope of stability.