I've heard some comparisons made between the Eurozone and the Articles of Confederation (AC) in the United States (US), and they make sense to me. The Eurozone V.1, like the US under the AC, has a fragmented economy and political system. The implication has been that the Eurozone is failing and will either need to dissolve or be replaced. We shall see. Indulge me while I follow this down the rabbit hole, though.
If the comparison is extended, there is that big Civil War-thing hanging out on the horizon. The U.S. Constitution rectified the issue of a fragmented political system in the early-US; however, by failing to unify the northern and southern economies, it sowed the seeds for what would erupt in the Civil War. Without whitewashing the human rights issue of slavery out of the history, the Civil War was between an industrial North and an agrarian South. In Europe, there is a "principled" industrial/financial north and a "corrupt" service periphery. While I'm hesitant to write this as it seems hyperbolic, wars are fought over such divisions. Could the European project, which started as a way to ensure democracy and to eliminate open, violent conflict, ironically push the continent to the brink?
If the comparison is extended, there is that big Civil War-thing hanging out on the horizon. The U.S. Constitution rectified the issue of a fragmented political system in the early-US; however, by failing to unify the northern and southern economies, it sowed the seeds for what would erupt in the Civil War. Without whitewashing the human rights issue of slavery out of the history, the Civil War was between an industrial North and an agrarian South. In Europe, there is a "principled" industrial/financial north and a "corrupt" service periphery. While I'm hesitant to write this as it seems hyperbolic, wars are fought over such divisions. Could the European project, which started as a way to ensure democracy and to eliminate open, violent conflict, ironically push the continent to the brink?
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