Why doesn't Europe become one country?

[Ashton2434]

To challenge the US? To take away the US's power and advantages? To stop the US's unjustified wars and other things Europeans don't like? Remember Iraq?

Now Europeans might ask:

"Why us? Why do we need to challenge them when other countries are doing it already?"

Because China and Russia can't do it on their own, they need the help of one of the richest continents on Earth, yours.

Together with your wealth, Russia's might, and China's blood, your dream of seeing the US in ashes will become reality, and Europa restored to the glory days of ruling the world!

So yeah... why hasn't Europe become one country yet?

[EmperorBatman999]

First, you assume that destroying the United States is a key goal of Europe, and it isn't. Firstly, it makes no sense from the European perspective: they still see the United States as the product of European culture. The dislike of some US domestic and foreign policy does not necessarily equate to a feeling of genuine animosity against America. You can disagree with the US intervention of Iraq without ruling that America is your mortal national enemy. As it stands, the relationship remains more of a friendly rivalry than one of hostility. The Europeans know, too, that they have benefitted immensely from US world system in terms of the opening up of international markets and the aegis of American military protection. And in terms of ruling the world, frankly, Europe doesn't want to rule the world. There is a reason France and Britain voluntarily decolonized: it was too much for their countries to manage all these overseas colonies, and the modern age made governance even more confounding, not less.

Or, take it in this analogy: Say you have a cat, but the cat sometimes does things you don't like. No normal person would want to kill their cat because it occasionally makes a mess in the house or hisses at your party guests.

Now the reasons Europe has not federalized are so extensive that they cannot be listed exhaustively here, but I'll highlight some of the most glaring issues:

First, we have Europe's massive cultural diversity. There are 24 official languages of the EU, and that doesn't count the dialects and minor languages like Basque, Catalan, and Breton. Additionally, the EU member states have spent centuries developing their own independent cultures and customs, with each country having a rich individual history. This can be compared to the United States where thirteen similar political entities (all former British colonies) banded together and then grew the country westwards as a combined effort to eventually sprawl from Atlantic to Pacific.

To unify Europe, however, you would need to get all its members to finally put aside the long history and political sovereignty they enjoyed. You would also have complaints that the larger states like France and Germany would only become even more influential, to the point of invasiveness, in terms of controlling policy among the minor members. In the US, many Americans are irked that New York, California, and Texas get disproportionate influence over federal policies. It will be far worse if Europe unites. And then how would Europe maintain language rights, especially minority languages? Again here we would see immediate dominance of English, French, and German, something which Finns or Estonians would have no power to stop.

We got people like Orban in power as pushback to EU economic, social, and cultural policy over the member-states. The minor members already see the EU as a bullying and invasive entity, which is why Britain left and Hungary continues to resist from within the EU. Finally, there is constant and significant critique about the EU's democratic deficit, where the heads-of-state of France and Germany have more power over EU-wide policy than the entire of the European Parliament, which is, in any case, more of a rubber-stamp for the laws and regulations that the Commission would like to get passed. Until the EU curbs the power of the major members and makes the Parliament a serious and democratic institution, it will never get closer to federalization.

[conon394]

In the US, many Americans are irked that New York, California, and Texas get disproportionate influence over federal policies

Actually works the other way. Because of the senate and the Electoral collage empty no places have a disproportionate influence on US policy not the largest states.

[EmperorBatman999]

Actually works the other way. Because of the senate and the Electoral collage empty no places have a disproportionate influence on US policy not the largest states.

Or, you could look at it another way, in the form of state legislation and regulations. For example, the Texas public school system has strong influence over textbook publishers because the state mandates which textbooks every Texas public school has to read. Comparatively, county or even town school boards, and individual teachers, determine the curriculum in other states' schools. Publishers therefore print what the state of Texas wants taught because Texas is such a large market, and the rest of the states end up having to read books written for the Texas standard. Texas's education system becomes, in essence, America's education system, and considering the criticism Texas's education system has received for its poor quality and conservative outlook, that doesn't bode well for the country's educational future.

[Muizer]

To challenge the US? To take away the US's power and advantages? To stop the US's unjustified wars and other things Europeans don't like? Remember Iraq?

Now Europeans might ask:

"Why us? Why do we need to challenge them when other countries are doing it already?"

Because China and Russia can't do it on their own, they need the help of one of the richest continents on Earth, yours.

Together with your wealth, Russia's might, and China's blood, your dream of seeing the US in ashes will become reality, and Europa restored to the glory days of ruling the world!

So yeah... why hasn't Europe become one country yet?

This is the second thread where you profess your profound bafflement at your inability to reconcile Europe's motivations with its actions. Perhaps, rather than assume the whole European continent has the wrong end of the stick on this one, you should reexamine your assumptions.

[Lord Thesaurian]

Have we established why Europe “dreams of seeing the US in ashes?” Would really like to know how hurt my feelings are supposed to be by that information.

[Heathen Hammer]

Even in its task of destroying America, Europe got ironically beaten by America herself.

[Lifthrasir]

I have to delete a bunch of posts for being off-topics. Please, stay on topic Gents.

[ggggtotalwarrior]

Tbf the OP is so loaded and ridiculous it is kind of hard for it to foster any legitimate discussion

[Roma_Victrix]

This thread is especially funny now that Russia has fully invaded Ukraine. Europe joining together into "one country", or rather just expanding the EU, is seemingly detrimental to the interests of Vladimir Putin rather than to the US. The reasons for that are obvious, considering Putin wants to continue the kleptocratic oligarchic gravy train in Russia and it's harder to do that with a country like Ukraine liberalizing and democratizing itself right on Russia's doorstep. That and joining either the EU or NATO, which would change its alignment entirely away from Russia and its circle of allies (growing thin, but they do have Belarus as a trusty friend in the region). The EU already exists anyway and it's not like the US sees this as some overarching problem or threat to its existence. This thread is also inherently silly given the existence of NATO.

[Gaul]

History. And which country would be the most numerous in the government? An old enemy would certainly object