海角大神

When President Trump takes his place as guest of honor on the Champs-脡lys茅es on Friday to watch US soldiers march with French troops in France鈥檚 annual Bastille Day parade, he will be commemorating the 100th anniversary of the US entering World War I.

But the 鈥渄oughboys,鈥� as American troops were called in WWI, weren鈥檛 there for most of the conflict. As war was raging in Europe, American President Woodrow Wilson was campaigning for reelection with the slogan, 鈥淗e Kept us out of War/ America First.鈥� Some of the bloodiest battles of the war聽鈥撀爄n fact, of history itself聽鈥撀爓ere playing out. In 1916, at the Battle of the Somme, more than 1 million British, French, and German soldiers were killed or wounded 鈥� and Americans were adamant about not getting involved 鈥渙ver there.鈥�

Today, visitors to the now grass-covered trenches mark the sacrifices of those who were there. For Loralea Wark, a social studies teacher from the Northwest Territories visiting with a group of fellow Canadians, the parallels of an America then and now, pulling away from the world, are discomfiting.

鈥淭his is what happens when we don鈥檛 cooperate,鈥� she says, pointing to fields that were once sloughs sliced with furrows, and now comprise the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial.

This site is particularly moving because it allows visitors to walk through the trenches, which have naturally filled in over time but still run six feet deep. As scars of the Battle of the Somme, they let visitors glean a physical understanding of soldiers鈥� inability to advance to the enemy line,聽from the first day of battle on July 1, 1916, to the battle鈥檚 end 141 days later.

鈥淥ur generation owes it to these troops. We are here because of what they did,鈥� Ms. Wark says.

Questioning the basic architecture

French President Emmanuel Macron鈥檚 decision to host Mr. Trump has been criticized in some circles. They say the US leader,聽who in his nationalist inauguration speech proclaimed 鈥淔rom this moment on, it鈥檚 going to be America First,鈥� is undeserving of the pomp of Paris鈥檚 annual Bastille Day parade.

But Mr. Macron is hoping that his invitation will mark a turnaround: that Trump鈥檚 positions on trade, borders, security 鈥� and key from the French president鈥檚 vantage, the Paris climate accord, from which the US pulled out 鈥� could get a rethink after his state visit. After all, if President Wilson won the 1916 American election on an isolationist pledge, he entered 鈥淭he Great War鈥� just weeks after his inauguration, a key to the Allied victory a year and a half later.

In fact, Wilson鈥檚 vision behind the League of Nations 鈥� even as the US retreated deep into isolationism between the world wars and refused to join the body 鈥� gave shape to the postwar order that has dominated, until now.

With the march of nationalist populists and xenophobia in the West and questions about open borders, historians are quick to make comparisons between today and the 1930s. But in many ways those between today and WWI are just as apt: a disillusionment with war, with unbridled globalization, fueling an instinct to turn inwards.

Brian Balogh, the co-host of the podcast Backstory and a history professor at the University of Virginia, says there鈥檚 never been a timelier moment in history to reflect on World War I. 鈥淭he pre-World War I Woodrow Wilson who campaigned on keeping the US out of the war, that Woodrow Wilson was very consistent with America鈥檚 history up to that point, going all the way back to George Washington,鈥� he says. The US was an avid free trader, but at that point only maintained a small army. 鈥淲orld War I really marks a watershed in terms of America鈥檚 permanent engagement with the world, especially militarily,鈥� he says.

More than 2 million American troops arrived on the Western Front between 1917 and 1918, and their entry was key to boosting the morale of the Allies, who were ultimately victorious.

And now, Dr. Balogh says, 鈥淒onald Trump is questioning the basic architecture that has been in place for roughly a century.鈥�

'There are still links'

French government spokesman Christophe Castaner told TV channel LCI that the invitation extended to Trump is meant to honor America鈥檚 role as Europe鈥檚 liberator in both world wars 鈥� but that perhaps it can serve to bring Europe and the US back to the same page.

鈥淭here鈥檚 also a strong political dimension. Emmanuel Macron wants to try to prevent the president of the United States being isolated. [Trump] sometimes takes decisions that we disagree with, on climate change for example,鈥� Mr. Castaner told the station. 鈥淏ut we can do things: either you say 鈥榃e're not speaking because you haven鈥檛 been nice鈥� or we can reach out to him to keep him in the circle,鈥� he explained.

Gauthier Marseille, a guide for the Museum Somme 1916 in the town of Albert 鈥� also known as the town of the 鈥渓eaning virgin鈥� because German artillery tipped over the gilded statue of Mary atop its basilica 鈥� says he also worries about the parallels between the 鈥淎merica First鈥� of then and now.

鈥淥f course the figures aren鈥檛 the same, but the [US] is today a country that wants to go back to protectionism, make its economy work and [say] 鈥楽o what鈥� about the others,鈥� he says. 鈥淒onald Trump wants to make things good for Americans, and the rest are cast aside.鈥�

The museum, housed in a 32-foot-deep, 250-yard-long tunnel that served as a bomb shelter during World War II, traces life for soldiers in the trenches of the Somme. Because Americans only entered this area in the Second Battle of the Somme, a much smaller clash in 1918, they aren鈥檛 represented.

He supports Macron鈥檚 invitation to Trump. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 good because the Americans helped us in 1917, and we cannot forget it. They came for the Second World War. And despite everything, they have always been our allies, since [the Marquis de] Lafayette,鈥� he says, referencing the French military officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War. 鈥淓ven if Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron aren鈥檛 in agreement on many points, there are still links between our countries. And I think it鈥檚 a good idea he comes here.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 not because he has different ideas that we should turn our backs on him,鈥� he adds. 鈥淢aybe this is a way to find agreement, a way to stay open, and stay intelligent.鈥�