The rise of populism and the threat to the EU and NATO

Timothy Garton Ash of Oxford and Steve Erlanger of the New York Times explore the prospects for a united Europe in the face of a wave of nationalism and populism, internal divisions and the struggle to integrate nineteen diverse economies. Can the EU and NATO survive?

They discuss the French presidential election, nationalism and the erosion of liberal democracy. Ash says 1989 was a moment of triumph for Europe, and Europe is more integrated than it has ever been in its history. But he says a global anti-liberal counter-revolution is a reaction against 40 years of advancing liberty.

Globalization, the digital revolution and automation have left Europeans feeling poorer and more insecure.

Ash says Europe has a "problem of success" and there is a generation of young people that doesn't believe "the whole thing could unravel and go back to nationalism and dictatorship and even war."

Add populism, the refugee crisis, Brexit and Putin to the mix and the EU and NATO are facing an existential crisis, Ash said.

Ash is professor of European Studies at Oxford and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford. He writes for The New York Review of Books and the Guardian, and leads an online project called FreeSpeechDebate.com.

Steve Erlanger is the London Bureau Chief for the New York Times and has served in several other European capitals, including Moscow.

The program, "Truth, Politics and Power" was hosted by former NPR host Neal Conan. From PRX, the Public Radio Exchange.

At the end of the hour, Retired Major Gen. Mike Davidson recommends the book "Hillbilly Elegy" by J.D. Vance.

To listen to the program, click the audio player above.

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