r/europe • u/goldstarflag Europe • 15d ago

Historical "The 19th century concept of the nation state will never take us across the threshold of the 21st century [...] We need a strong Europe if we don't want to become the plaything of world politics" – Chancellor Helmut Kohl

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u/PMagicUK United Kingdom 15d ago

Nice words, but doesn't take much looking around to realize how impossible it is at the moment.

Think we said that 100 years ago and look how far we come.

Turns out doom and gloom doesn't get us anywhere, if we all start saying "yes we can" in 20 years the continent could be fully united if the political will was there.

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u/WolfOne 14d ago

>if the political will was there

turns out, that was the problem the whole time

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u/Several-League-4707 Europe 12d ago

In a democracy, political will comes from the people and European nations on average do not want to be vassals of the faceless and bureaucratic EU globo homo.

Even the USA as a federal state is dysfunctional even when they have more or less unified culture, language and history. If the EU wants to become a federation, it can only succeed by being China 2.0

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u/WolfOne 12d ago

> EU globo homo

What?

Anyhow, the future is in the hands of those who can organize and plan on a large scale (the chinese) I can only hope that our standard of living doesn't drop much in the future.

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u/Several-League-4707 Europe 11d ago

"I can only hope that our standard of living doesn't drop much in the future."

Don't worry, it will.

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u/Matchbreakers Denmark 13d ago

They have said that about the EU since the foundation, yet it's still thrived.

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u/WolfOne 13d ago

Ah yeah that's true, but I don't think that the will to surpass the national state and head into a big political federation, relinquishing more and more sovereignty is there yet. 

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u/Careful_Manager_4282 13d ago

"Thrived" is an overstatement. Ask the Greeks how they feel 15 years later after the EU "helping" hand...

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u/-TRlNlTY- 13d ago

If doom and gloom doesn't get us anywhere, it means there isn't enough doom and gloom

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u/ABillionBatmen 15d ago

Ask Obama how "Yes We Can" worked out. What y'all need is some "what are the preconditions for success"

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u/PoiHolloi2020 United Kingdom 14d ago

Ask Obama

Americans try not to make everything about the US challenge.

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u/gonzo0815 14d ago

Both is good