The European Union is an association — at most an alliance — and not a transnational state. There was an idea of making it such a state, but that idea failed a while ago. As an alliance, it is a system of relationships among sovereign states. They participate in it to the extent that it suits their self-interest — or fail to participate when they please.
Europe, Nationalism and Shared Fate - Stratfor
George Friedman examines the intentions and outcomes of the EU experiment. There are quite a few notable portions of Friedman’s article, but you can’t help but compare the nations of the EU to the states of the US. An even more interesting comparison would be the ineffectiveness of the EU (as in the above quote) with that of the UN.
No matter how much people want everyone to share and hug and love each other, self-interest will always guide people’s (and therefore nations’) actions. The first step to improving the world around us is to acknowledge that very fact.
