If it does, the European Union could be buckled by further withdrawals and the West as an identifiable collective based on liberal values could crumble — something that some in Mr. Trump’s administration, if not the president himself, would apparently welcome. In Germany, the Alternative for Germany party peddles a similar agenda, though its chances to enter government are slight. It would be foolish to suppose that this campaign, and the demagogic appeals of Ms. LePen, cannot succeed. For now, however, it is looking as if the reaction in Europe to Mr. Trump’s victory may be the consolidation of forces that oppose his radical assertion of national sovereignty over multilateralism, and economic nationalism over free trade. If so, that will be a victory for all who still believe in a liberal democratic West.

Source: Washington Post March 04, 2017 00:22 UTC