For those who have been following international politics, the French election has probably been on your radar. In the first round, there were three main candidates who got the majority of the votes with Macron leading with 27.85%, Le Pen with 23.15%, and Mélenchon with 21.95% of the vote. Both Le Pen and Macron faced off in the final round and the incumbent Macron won. This is a good thing; however, the margin by which he won is troubling to some involved in EU politics. Macron won with 18,779,641 votes while Le Pen won with 13,297,760 votes. The margin by which he won is considered normal, but the last time he won, he garnered 66% of the vote, which is a larger margin than this time. 

Le Pen has some very far-right policies on a wide range of topics including Islamic beliefs and practices, national security, NATO, and renewable energy. She wants to completely ban headscarves in public spaces and referred to them in 2010 as “Islamist uniform”, along with comparing Muslims praying to the Nazi occupation. 

However Macron also has some controversial policies including his “green” policies which have been criticized for being ineffective and doing no real good. In his next term he has said he wishes to focus on France’s economy along with advancing French society in all aspects, including immigration, defense, and education.

While there is a stark difference between their policies, what is most troubling is that Le Pen could have won the election and would have turned France into a non-interventionist state. Le Pen would prefer that France get out of NATO along with other EU alliances and have France become isolated from other countries, no longer a keystone of European democracy.

Throughout Europe the political landscape is changing and is not only affecting those in Europe but everyone around the globe. These changes will lead to drastic changes in the international economy, defense system, and global policies.