`Nationalism Is a Betrayal of Patriotism’

(Bloomberg) -- French President Emmanuel Macron confronted fellow world leaders with a call for international cooperation, urging them to work together to maintain peace as they marked the centenary of the end of World War I.

Standing in the Paris drizzle just feet from leaders including Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, Macron used the culmination of a ceremony commemorating the 1918 Armistice to champion the work of international institutions such as the European Union and the United Nations.

“Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism, nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism,” Macron said. “In saying ‘our interests first and who cares about the others,’ we erase what a nation has that’s most precious, what makes it live, what is most important: its moral values.”

Macron’s message was both a call to learn the lessons of 1918, when the fragile peace gave way to another world war two decades later, and a rebuke to present-day leaders such as Trump who shun the international order in favor of nationalist policies.

The weekend’s events have been marked by contrasting shows of German-French reconciliation -- with Chancellor Angela Merkel constantly at Macron’s side -- and Trump’s testy isolation. The U.S. president set the tone for his trip by blasting Macron on Twitter for “very insulting” comments advocating a more integrated European security, and was then widely criticized for skipping a planned visit to a U.S. military ceremony due to bad weather.

In a symbolic display of unity before his speech Sunday, Macron led the dozens of gathered leaders in a broad line up the Champs-Elysees. Trump and Putin arrived separately in their own motorcades.

Turning Inward

During the ceremony Sunday, Macron sat with Merkel on his immediate right, with Trump just beyond the German Chancellor. Merkel and Macron have emerged as the leading defenders of the multilateral institutions created at the end of World War II, while Trump, who embraces what he calls “America First” policies, pronounced at the UN in September that he’s a “nationalist” who rejects globalism.

“Let’s add up our hopes and not our fears,” Macron said. “Let’s reject the fascination for turning in on ourselves, violence, and domination.” He listed climate change, poverty, hunger, inequality and “ignorance” among the global challenges to be tackled jointly.

No Trump-Putin Meeting

At the start of the ceremony, the U.S. and Russian leaders shook hands and Putin flashed a thumbs-up. Russian officials said the French had been the ones to ask that no separate meeting be arranged between the two Sunday in order not to distract from the solemn commemorations.

“We agreed that we wouldn’t disrupt the schedule of the host country and at their request we’re not organizing any meetings here,” Putin told Russian state-run RT television. “But possibly we will at the G-20 or later. We’re open to dialog.”

The two didn’t get to talk during the luncheon, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies later, but said they would see each other again. Russian officials accused their hosts of changing the seating plan to separate Trump and Putin, a charge the French denied.

The Russian president is hoping his personal ties with Trump, who regularly touts their good relationship, will at some point yield a softening of the U.S. approach to his country. So far, however, the tensions have only built, with the U.S. imposing new rounds of sanctions and vowing to pull out of a Cold War disarmament treaty.

Cemetery Visits

Trump on Saturday was forced to skip a planned visit to Belleau Wood battlefield and cemetery, sparking a storm of criticism for what some saw as disrespect to veterans. U.K. Defense Minister Tobias Ellwood was among those to slight Trump, saying that rain “did not prevent our brave heroes from doing their job.” Trump headed from the luncheon to visit another military cemetery before his scheduled departure.

Earlier Saturday, Macron and Trump said they’d patched up differences over the twitter tussle, even as the showy friendliness of their past encounters was replaced by a stiffer interaction. The U.S. president skipped the Peace Forum his host organized for Sunday.

Sunday’s ceremony included youths reading letters written by soldiers and civilians in the “Great War,” and ended with the traditional lighting of the flame on the tomb of the unknown soldier.

Macron paid tribute to the allies and opponents who battled for four years on French soil.

“France knows what it owes these fighters that came from across the world, France salutes with honor the death of soldiers that it fought,” he said. “The combat that’s most worth it is the combat for peace and for a better world.”

©2018 Bloomberg L.P.