The establishment is breathing an enormous sigh of relief in France today. Centrist Emmanuel Macron will face far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in the May 7 presidential election. The relief is that Ms. Le Pen wasn’t joined by the far-left candidate, who was also polling well before Sunday’s first round of voting.
But there’s a danger in that kind of relief. Is Mr. Macron’s primary value that he’s not someone else? Later this week, we’ll take a look at why Macron’s supporters like him. And that’s important. What’s needed is not a defeat of the so-called extremists. What’s needed is a positive and compelling vision for a future that embraces all – including those feeling left behind by globalization. If relief only leads to complacency, then any victory will prove a hollow one.