
Just down the road from the petite Airbnb in which I’m currently staying on the outskirts of Paris is the home of Alexander Dumas, who wrote The Count of Monte Cristo. That novel takes place during Napoleon’s escape from exile and his return to power, a comeback which lasted a scant 115 days before a Prussian/British coalition defeated him for good at Waterloo.
In 2025, our own little tyrant has re-emerged from his own exile. The early returns have not been promising.
I am not going to honor Donald Trump by drawing a direct line between him and France’s “Little Corporal.” Napoleon, after all, was brave. A war hero. And a brilliant tactician.
Read more at The Daily Beast.