The sight was heartbreaking—thousands of refugees scrambling onto a train in hopes of entering Europe, others walking hundreds of miles with no food or water. A few were probably economic migrants, but most were fleeing war. From Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, they filled highways, drained the resources of a dozen nations, and, eventually, taxed the patience and political will of a broad swath of European leadership. Germany will take so many, France fewer still. Great Britain will give a little money but take only a small number, while Italy and Greece, already in economic distress, take in tens of thousands. It is an enormous challenge that demands a coordinated effort.
Yet at the very moment strong leadership is most needed, Europe has provided a fractured response. In this age of globalization and “hyper-change”—where technological, environmental, and demographic changes are...
