Leaders | A region in mortal danger

Emmanuel Macron’s urgent message for Europe

The French president issues a dark and prophetic warning

Emmanuel Macron speaking in his office
image: Ed Alcock/MYOP

IN 1940, AFTER France had been defeated by the Nazi blitzkrieg, the historian Marc Bloch condemned his country’s inter-war elites for having failed to face up to the threat that lay ahead. Today Emmanuel Macron cites Bloch as a warning that Europe’s elites are gripped by the same fatal complacency.

Explore more

This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Europe in mortal danger”

From the May 4th 2024 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

Discover more

A man waves the Lebanese flag from a car as displaced people return home, in Sidon, Lebanon on November 27th 2024

Peace in Lebanon is just a start

Donald Trump must build on Joe Biden’s belated success

A group of protesters burn pictures Donald Trump and Joe Biden in 2020

From Nixon to China, to Trump to Tehran

Iran is weak. For America’s next president that creates an opportunity


This illustration shows a graduation cap (mortarboard) with a small pile of coins inside its circular top. The background is green, and the cap's tassel is yellow.

Too many master’s courses are expensive and flaky

Governments should help postgraduates get a better deal


Elon Musk is Donald Trump’s disrupter-in-chief

The entrepreneur will be let loose on America’s government

Why British MPs should vote for assisted dying

A long-awaited liberal reform is in jeopardy