It’s Far Too Early to Declare Victory Over Populism

Yascha Mounk wrote for Slate about why the political challenges to liberal democracy will not subside due to Macron's victory alone: 

After the nasty surprises of 2016, just about anything seemed possible in 2017. If Donald Trump could become president of the United States, it seemed unwise to exclude the possibility that Le Pen might become president of France. Against that background, the fact that Macron, whom very few people even saw as a possible contender for the Élysée Palace a year ago, emerged as the unlikely savior of France’s political center really is a reason to breath a deep sigh of relief.

But while it’s only natural to be relieved, this is no time to get complacent. On the contrary, there are four reasons why the triumphalist narrative that is already taking hold in the aftermath of the French elections is understating the populist threat to liberal democracy.