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Curated by Project Syndicate

Vive La France?

22 commentaries

Emmanuel Macron wants to shake up the ailing French economy, bring together a bitterly divided country, and revive the European project. Project Syndicate writers examine the legacy he inherits and the scale of the challenges he faces.

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  1. Transparency’s Diminishing Returns
    Emmanuel Macron Chesnot/Getty Images

    Transparency’s Diminishing Returns

    Sep 13, 2017 Raphaël Hadas-Lebel considers whether French President Emmanuel Macron's new ethics push has gone too far.

  2. Macron and a Sixth Republic?
    Macron crowd Vincent Isore/IP3/Getty Images

    Macron and a Sixth Republic?

    May 11, 2017 Giles Merritt strikes a sobering note regarding the new French president's prospects for success.

  3. Has Populism Peaked?
    legrain22_NurPhoto_Getty-Images_Macron NurPhoto/Getty Images

    Has Populism Peaked?

    May 10, 2017 Philippe Legrain cautions against rosy assessments of the significance of Emmanuel Macron's victory.

  4. France Returns to Europe
    Macron at voting station Eric Feferberg/AFP/Getty Images

    France Returns to Europe

    May 10, 2017 Zaki Laïdi explains Emmanuel Macron's strategic vision for restoring French leadership within the EU.

  5. The Macron Miracle
    Macron Le Pen TV debate Dominique Boutin/TASS/Getty Images

    The Macron Miracle

    May 10, 2017 Dominique Moisi asks how a pro-European centrist won, despite economic malaise and growing security threats.

  6. Emmanuel Macron, the Novel
    Macron win Eric Feferberg/Getty Images

    Emmanuel Macron, the Novel

    May 9, 2017 Bernard-Henri Lévy considers how the implausible plotline that brought France's new president to power will play out.

  1. stiglitz331_serggnGetty Images_techregulation serggn/Getty Images

    A Big Defeat for Big Tech

    Joseph E. Stiglitz

    Tech companies know that if there is an open, democratic debate about data security, consumers’ concerns about digital safeguards will win out. And while the industry's lobbyists tried to ensure that no such debate could ever occur, one of their more cynical moves has now been exposed and thwarted.

    details how the industry tried to slip extraordinary protections against regulation into US trade agreements.
  2. zizek27_Giles ClarkeGetty Images_jimmycherizier Giles Clarke/Getty Images

    Haiti’s Proud Boys

    Slavoj Žižek

    If we measure a failed state by the cracks in the edifice of its power, reflected in brewing ideological civil wars, deadlocked assemblies, and increasingly insecure public spaces, we must recognize that the United States is not so unlike Haiti. Both have given rise to violent gangs with political ambitions.

    warns that rich Western democracies are not immune to politically motivated gang violence.
  3. hedegaard11_y Dursun AydemirAnadolu via Getty Images_parliament elections Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images

    Unity Is Europe’s Greatest Asset

    Connie Hedegaard emphasizes the importance of stability amid persistent economic and geopolitical crises.
  4. qian34_PEDRO PARDOAFP via Getty Images_immigration PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images

    The Truth About US Immigration

    Nancy Qian warns that overheated campaign-season rhetoric is dangerously polarizing and ultimately self-defeating.
  5. mueller51_ David McNewGetty Images_gop trump David McNew/Getty Images

    The Zombification of Political Parties

    Jan-Werner Mueller argues that Donald Trump’s capture of the GOP’s organizational machinery recalls authoritarian tactics elsewhere.
  6. basu100_David Dee DelgadoGetty Images_newyork David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

    The Economic Consequences of Legal Behavior

    Kaushik Basu highlights the potential benefits of emphasizing adherence to the spirit of laws, if not their letter.
  7. brown106_KOLA SULAIMONAFP via Getty Images_nigeriaschool Kola Sulaimon/AFP via Getty Images

    For Nigeria’s Schools, Safety Must Come First

    Gordon Brown writes that the latest mass abduction of students underscores the dilemma facing parents throughout the country.
  8. owoo1_disabled iStock / Getty Images Plus

    Give Women with Disabilities a Chance

    Nkechi S. Owoo explains what is needed to protect and empower one of the world’s most vulnerable demographic groups.
  9. op_mkurz3_Spencer PlattGetty Images_rustbelt Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    How Capitalism Became a Threat to Democracy

    Mordecai Kurz examines the economic policies and market dynamics that have ushered in America's Second Gilded Age.

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