By now it is settled wisdom that we are witnessing the rise of radical forces on the left and right around the globe. Populists of both varieties, who share a disdain for globalization, are energized, certain that the future is going their way. But the center is rising again, even in the heart of the old world.
Consider Emmanuel Macron, the 39-year-old former Rothschild banker who is the odds-on favorite to become France’s next president. Polls indicate that the far-right candidate, Marine Le Pen, is leading the field in the first round with about 25 percent of the vote. But in the second round, which pits only the two front-runners against one another, Macron is projected to beat her handily. Keep in mind that Macron is emphatically in favor of free markets, globalization, the European Union and the transatlantic alliance — and yet he is surging in a country often defined by its strong labor unions, skepticism of capitalism and distrust of the United States.
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Source link : https://www.cnn.com/2017/02/27/us/center-can-still-win-in-europe-zakaria/index.html
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Publish date : 2017-02-27 08:00:00
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