Britain’s transition from the European Union will not be an easy one. That much was made clear at this week’s EU assembly in Brussels, where German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged “a relationship of friendship” while emphasizing “we will also be guided by our own interests.” Both sides rightly acknowledge that Brexit will have both immediate and long-lasting ramifications, but the extent of those effects — and whether they represent negative or positive changes — is a topic of fierce division.

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger writes, “The impact of the British vote is so profound because the emotions it reflects are not confined to Britain or even Europe. The popular reaction to European Union institutions (as reflected in public-opinion polls) is comparable in most major countries, especially France and Spain.”

Indeed. According to The New York Times, “A spring survey by the Pew Research Center found that while support for the bloc remains strong in Poland and Hungary, which have benefited greatly from infusions of funds from Brussels, just 27 percent of Greek, 38 percent of French and 47 percent of Spanish citizens hold a favorable view. … Even Germany, where strong support for the so-called European project had been an unwavering feature of postwar politics, euroskepticism is on the rise, with 48 percent of those polled saying they had an unfavorable view of the bloc.”

That seems to fly in the face of the narrative being promoted by leftists, many of whom are crying foul by suggesting Brexit succeeded only because the process is flawed. On that point, The Wall Street Journal’s James Taranto responds: “In 1975, as the BBC notes, the British voted by a 2-to-1 margin to remain in what was then called the European Economic Community, giving popular assent to a decision the government had taken two years earlier. … But the current referendum, like the one four decades ago, was initiated by the government; it’s just that this time the people didn’t vote the way the government (or at any rate the prime minister) wanted. Why have a referendum at all if the people’s voice doesn’t matter in the end?”

The outcome of the EU’s future remains to be seen, but Kissinger goes on argue that Brexit represents a crucial opportunity, but only if leadership arises: “From globalization to migration, the willingness to sacrifice is weakening. But a better future cannot be reached without some sacrifice of the present. A society reluctant to accept this verity stagnates and, over the decades, consumes its substance. Inevitably a gap arises between the institutions and their responsibilities, which accounts for increasing populist pressures.” He adds, “The needed restoration of faith will not come through recriminations. To inspire the confidence of the world, Europe and America must demonstrate confidence in themselves.”

Surely all those on both sides of the Brexit debate can agree that a world with renewed leadership is a welcome development. And if that much can be achieved, everyone wins.