Nathan Gardels is editor in chief of the WorldPost. Nicolas Berggruen is chairman of the Berggruen Institute.
PARIS — After 10 years of being written off as a lost cause mired in internal turmoil, prospects are mounting that Europe could come back as the leader of the West. As China takes the helm of globalization, including linking up new markets across Eurasia through a revived Silk Road, and the United States pulls back from global engagement with President Trump’s “America First” policy, a Europe that remains open and engaged will by default become the custodian of Western civilization’s presence in the world. In this global context, it is not an exaggeration to suggest that the coming elections in France and Germany this year will be a consequential factor in shaping the shifting world order.
