

It’s a Macron versus Le Pen final
France’s progressive and most promising candidate Emmanuel Macron has made it through the first round of the French elections. Many have breathed a large sigh of relief; I certainly did. It is by no means over yet. The far-right candidate Marine Le Pen also made it through following the predictions reported in Friday’s column. The two will fight for the presidency in the run-off vote on May 7. This has been a Sunday full of expectation, with the normal sleepy pace of a sunny


The French need a Revolution, not crisis
Just when you think it can’t get any worse, this global disorder, this downward spiral ― Brexit, Donald J. Trump’s victory, Russia’s rise, Syria’s incineration, Kim Jong-un’s nuclear game show, Turkey’s dance towards dictatorship ― another patch of the snug fabric that has kept world wars at bay for 70 years finds its threads pulled taut, primed to unravel into singularity. In two weeks' time, France will elect a new president: Will it be the far-right National Front’s Marine