Trump’s Iran showdown is becoming Europe’s political nightmare

(Nicholas Vinocur and Bjarke Smith-Meyer – Politico) Europe’s leaders have a new fear: Donald Trump’s standoff with Iran is about to turn from an economic shock into a political crisis for the bloc’s fragile center. With energy prices climbing and growth sputtering, pro-EU governments are bracing for a crisis they have little power to stop — and that could rip through the bloc’s already weakened political mainstream. Across Europe, unpopular incumbents are facing a populist backlash that could strike hard enough next year in France to propel National Rally to victory, putting the far right in the Élysée Palace and sending shockwaves around the world. “Energy costs are cascading into food, transport and housing, hitting lower- and middle-income households hardest,” Seamus Boland, president of the European Economic and Social Committee, which brings together trade unions from across Europe and advises the European Commission on economic and labor policy, told POLITICO. “Politically, that creates space for distrust — not just of national governments, but of European institutions’ ability to shield citizens from external shocks. It risks accelerating support for more protectionist or inward-looking approaches.”. France is the biggest prize. But it is not the signal in Europe that the center is crumbling. – Trump’s Iran showdown is becoming Europe’s political nightmare – POLITICO