MARK LEONARD
Nationallyfocused: Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (left) was the first European leader to close borders-and he didn’t wait to consult EU partners
© CHINE NOUVELLE/SIPA/SHUTTERSTOCK
Outside the historic chancellery building in Vienna’s Ballhausplatz 2 in early March, horses and carts ferried tourists languidly about the historic imperial centre while people sat outside the famous coffee houses enjoying the first rays of spring sunshine. They had no idea that Austria’s 33-year old chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, was about to lock the city down and force them into house arrest for the next few weeks.