German Chancellor Angela Merkel opened the Paris Peace Forum, which followed a ceremony in the French capital to mark the centenary of the end of World War One, with a warning that “blinkered” nationalism was gaining ground in Europe and beyond. Echoing comments made by Macron, she said there was a worrying readiness by some to promote self-interest and ignore ties that have underpinned peace since the end of World War Two. “If isolation wasn’t the solution 100 years ago, how can it be today in such an interconnected world?” Macron hopes the forum can lead help avoid falling into the traps of the past by promoting multilateralism.
