Trump may be just what the doctor ordered to rescue the eurozone

Brussels

EUROPE has just endured two more difficult tests. While Austrian voters rejected the possibility of the European Union getting its first far-right head of state, Italians delivered a stinging rebuke to their government - and opened the way for populist forces to come to power. Add to that a "Brexit" that has yet to unfold and the eurozone's still- lacklustre economic performance, and the survival of the common currency is far from guaranteed.

With the euro taking the blame in recent years for Europe's many economic travails (from a double-dip recession to a slow and uneven recovery), nationalist, eurosceptic and populist political movements have gained ground. Austria has sidestepped their advance, but Italy may not.