G7 Summit 2017 in Italy. The Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel with the President of the United States of America Donald Trump during the welcome ceremony and the photo family at Taormina, Italy on May 26, 2017. NurPhoto/SIPA USA/PA Images. All rights reserved.
“The first thing is not to despair. Let us not listen too much to those who proclaim that the world is at an end. Civilizations do not die so easily, and even if our world were to collapse, it would not have been the first.” Albert Camus, The Almond Trees (1940)
Donald Trump might be a creation of the age we live in. The lure of social media, the prominence of perception over facts and the decay of politicians’ status has opened the doors for charismatic – yet unprepared – leaders. But his victory over Hillary Clinton – the establishment’s candidate – worked as a rallying cry for populists and strongmen, casting a dark shadow over Europe. At a critical moment for the European Union, its main ally has aligned itself with those trying to destroy it. Populism has returned with a vengeance.
