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France — our friend from the Revolution to the present, our inspiration for three branches of government, home to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, creator of the Statue of Liberty and the only European power to embrace Republicanism before the 20th century — may have saved the continued existence and vitality of "the West" as we know it Sunday. It did so by rejecting the ultra-nationalist and isolationist Marine Le Pen in favor of the pro-West and pro-European Union Emmanuel Macron.
The EU is often misunderstood as a mere trade agreement, but it is far more. The main objective of the EU's founding fathers was to ensure European peace. After back-to-back world wars with more than 100 million casualties, Europeans leaders believed peace required forming what Winston Churchill called "a kind of United States of Europe." Only such comprehensive political and economic integration would make war unthinkable.
The process began partly with the U.S.-led Marshall Plan, followed by the creation of institutions promoting capitalism, civil rights and democracy. Together, these institutions formed the organization that became the European Union in 1993. The EU's current 28-member states form an economy second only to the U.S. (ahead of even China) while accomplishing the original goal of maintaining peace among its members.
Furthermore, the EU has promoted Western values in its newer members in East Europe once controlled by Soviet Russia, advancing the lines of freedom and prosperity. This EU-led expansion to Eastern Europe is precisely why Russian President Vladimir Putin feels threatened by the EU. This point cannot be understated.
Many accused Mitt Romney of outdated thinking when he asserted in 2012 that Russia is "without question our number one geopolitical foe," but the evidence today proving him right is staggering: Russia's seizure of Crimea; Russia's support of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad; Russian support of separatists in the Ukraine; and the placement of Russian troops along EU/NATO borders. It is obvious now that the once-KGB operative Putin hopes to reestablish Russia's Cold War glory. As such, the EU membership of previously Soviet nations, (which now look to our friends in Brussels for leadership rather than Moscow), undermines Putin. The only thing that could help him more than stopping EU expansion, as he has in the Ukraine, would be weakening or destroying the EU.
Until Sunday, Russia's best path to that end was France. The rise of Euroscepticism and Britain's impending "Brexit" have already weakened it. Had Le Pen won and proceeded with "Frexit," the EU would have lost a founding member, the home nation of crucial founding fathers and one of its largest economies. This would have brought the EU to its knees and opened the door for Russian influence or domination of the young democracies still taking root in the EU's delicate eastern soil. No wonder Russian hackers spent months trying to compromise Macron's campaign.
Of greater concern, this disintegration would restore the political and economic frictions that had driven Europe to war for centuries. Collectively, the EU-United States partnership has underwritten international security and promoted peace and stability for over seventy years. Yet, with the success of isolationist/nationalist movements across Europe and the United States, the future of this order is questionable. French voters could have dealt a significant blow to this important project by electing Le Pen.
France once again deserves our undying gratitude for preserving the future of the U.S.-Europe democratic alliance. Its choice of Macron might be the single greatest favor it has done for the United States' interests since Lafayette blocked General Cornwallis at Yorktown. Vive la France!
Gregory R. Jackson, Ph.D., is assistant professor of integrated studies at Utah Valley University. He specializes in contemporary Europe and the Middle East with a specific focus on French history and the European Union. Ryan Vogel, JD, LLM, is the director of National Security Studies at Utah Valley University and assistant professor of law and national security. He previously served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon.