Vladimir Putin’s ill-judged war against Ukraine has weakened Russia—turning it into a junior partner of China and triggering Europe’s rearmament. Trump’s frontal assault on European democracy will rebound against the United States in a similar way.

It’s not only EU policies—from trade to defense—that are becoming more Gaullist. European voters’ feelings toward the EU are also becoming more French.

Geography and economics mean that even under a President Marine Le Pen, France could not walk away from European and German security.

Germany’s incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz shares many of French President Emmanuel Macron’s talents, but also many of his faults.