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The Increasing Nothingness of Europe

By Doug Bandow on 5.17.10 @ 4:19AM

Europe once was a traditional continent filled with traditional countries. There were real nations to which real people gave allegiance. Perhaps too much allegiance, given the wars which afflicted modern Europe.

Nevertheless, politicians were nominally accountable to voters. Governments had responsibility for economic policy. International cooperation started with countries and moved upward and outward.

This world has virtually disappeared. Today when speaking of Europe most people think of the European Union, a collective bureaucracy run by a gaggle of unaccountable politicians. George Will gets it right when discussing the meaning of Greece:

the EU is neither a state nor sovereign enough to enforce its rules: No eurozone nation is complying with the EU requirement that deficits not exceed 3 percent of GDP.

The EU has a flag no one salutes, an anthem no one sings, a president no one can name, a parliament (in Strasbourg) no one other than its members wants to have power (which must subtract from the powers of national legislatures), a capital (Brussels) of coagulated bureaucracy no one admires or controls, a currency that presupposes what neither does nor should nor soon will exist (a European central government), and rules of fiscal behavior that no member has been penalized for ignoring. The euro currency both presupposes and promotes a fiction -- that "Europe" has somehow become, against the wishes of most Europeans, a political rather than a merely geographic expression.

The designs of the paper euros, introduced in 2002, proclaim a utopian aspiration. Gone are the colorful bills of particular nations, featuring pictures of national heroes of statecraft, culture and the arts, pictures celebrating unique national narratives. With the euro, 16 nations have said goodbye to all that. The bills depict nonexistent windows, gateways and bridges. They are from ... nowhere, which is what "utopia" means.

Since European integration began in 1951 with creation of the European Coal and Steel Community, the question has been: Will there be a Europe of states or a state of Europe? The euro is part of the attempt to create the latter, a Leviathan constructed from the surrendered sovereignties of Europe's nations.

Unfortunately, the Leviathan seems likely to continue growing. That means the ultimate destruction of traditional Europe.

There's only one important question for Americans: Can we avoid the same fate?

View all comments (6) | Leave a comment

martin j smith| 5.17.10 @ 8:14AM

The EU was formed and inspired by Nations that had a Scoialist Government and thought in this manner--thus the Leaders are an elite and know better than the people. The people are nothing more than inconvenient specs that have to be managed and not accounted to. Thus as has been said, an alienation betweeen the EU and the people. Can you just wipe away nationa lidentity and national interests--not likely. But more to the point, can you continue economic policies on a grander scale than one nation which do noit work indefintely ? I don't think so. Greece is the tip of the ice berg and who are they blaming: The good old USA and GWB ( oh yeah--its BHO but who cares ). How does this pertain to us ? Just watch--our deficit is building up very quickly and revenue sources i.e. jobs ) are evaporating--so where is the money coming from ? Ah, that is the question. What is needed is what I will call the Chris Christie style of leadership --no confusion, no doubt about where we are going or coming from and tell Greece to go eat some souvlaki.

techwreck| 5.17.10 @ 8:19AM

The European Union provides an interesting look into the future for Americans if our citizens continue to support a liberal, deficit generating, entitlement oriented, central government.

How sad it is that a once free citizenry voluntarily surrendered their liberty for a promise of security. It is a promise that will never be fulfilled.

Curly Smith| 5.17.10 @ 8:44AM

"the European Union, a collective bureaucracy run by a gaggle of unaccountable politicians"

Is it any wonder that our politicians want the US to be more like Europe? Like techwreck, I have difficulty understanding why the citizens gave away their sovereignty for promises of rainbows and ponies. On the other hand, the formation of the EU was a very well orchestrated leftist coup.

Timothy L. Pennell| 5.17.10 @ 8:58AM

"When the people realize that they can VOTE THEMSELVES MONEY, then it's over." Thomas Jefferson.
It's over.
The LEFT has always wanted to be like Europe. Now, we're JUST like Europe. How's that working out for ya?
Why does ANYONE vote for Democrats? It's like punching yourself in the face.

Sara| 5.17.10 @ 10:25AM

Internationalists screech at anyone who stands up to their "rule" over all nations as "Nationalists." They invoke false images of Hitler to silence people who do not want to be culturally and Nationally ruled by them.

The free trade agreements led to economic integration and now has led to a global crash. It is bad enough when players crash their own Nation's economy. Now they have the power to crash the whole world.

It has led to a tribe of powerful traitors to operate against the people over every Nation on earth. We need to break up the party and end the fascist dreams of globalist control. We need to retrain our politicans to the reality that they are bound by our law and to our voters and to our Nation's interest.

Now that these "citizens of the world" have crashed the economies of the US and European Nations, they will try to install repairs establishing more centralized global control - outside the power and interests of democracy and the rule of National law.
There is nothing more corrupt on earth and we have to stop them now.

Gene Carr| 5.17.10 @ 12:41PM

Contrary to some American perceptions, the original European Union (the Common Market) was not formed by Social Democratic politicians, but by conservative Christian Democratic leaders such as DeGasparri (Italy) Jean Monnet (France) and Adenaur (Germany). Europe was to be a free market economy and under this philosophy European prosperity recovered and surged. it was later in the 1970s 1980s that the Social Democrats won power and effective crippled Europe with their ideological stupidity.