United States of Europe

During the Revolutionary War, George Washington tried to persuade New Jersey troops to swear allegiance to the United States. They refused, saying, "New Jersey is our country!" Luckily for the future of the United States, such state pride soon subsided. When it came time to ratify the U.S. Constitution there was little resistance. The people of the thirteen colonies realized that to survive in this new world, separate from the British Empire, they would have to unite. This is a lesson that the French have yet to learn, evidently. \nThe Constitution of the European Union, the document that would streamline the movement for the consolidation of the continent into a single economic and political entity, needed a unanimous vote from its 25 member countries in order to take effect. A couple weeks ago, France voted "No." Stupid French. \nWith France's 55 percent "No" vote, the Constitution was stopped in its tracks. As far as politics was concerned, this was it. Virtually every prime minister and president in the EU staked their careers on supporting the Constitution. Now that the French have given the EU the bird, their current prime minister, Jacques Chirac, is probably on his way out. Gaining strength from France's proud stance, the Dutch also voted "No," a stinging defeat for Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende. Jean-Claude Juncker, president of Luxemborg, has said he will quit if his country rejects the Constitution. And a good move this would be, since Europe looks like it's going to hell in a hand basket. \nJust like the colonies back in late 1700s, the nations of Europe need to unify in order to stay alive. In the last century they lost control of a world that had previously been theirs for several hundred years. And it's not just the United States, either. While Europe is content to sit in its social welfare system, East Asia is turning into an economic and political powerhouse. Even more frightening, however, is India, the up-and-coming wonderboy of capitalism and hard work. As New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman put it, "French voters are trying to preserve a 35-hour work week in a world where Indian engineers are ready to work a 35-hour day. Good luck." They'll need it.\nOne argument led most of the "No" campaign: unification would ruin their socialist state and allow workers from other European countries, namely Poland, to come in and take their jobs. This is a very real concern, but unfortunately blocking it out will not suffice. The rest of the world is ready to out-compete Europe, and unless the French and other Europeans are ready to work together, India will take both the French and Polish jobs. The leaders of Europe recognized this fact. That's why they put everything on the line for the European Union. The French, however, are apparently more shortsighted.\nDuring the American Civil War, Europe covertly supported the South because they wanted to see an America divided. Two smaller countries would be easier to control economically and politically, especially if the two countries didn't get along well. Luckily for the United States, the Union remained intact and the states were able to grow dominant over their former masters. While I doubt anyone was whispering into the ears of the French, the "No" vote is a huge roadblock for European unification. This is a very good thing for the rest of the world: one less real competitor, and a bunch of smaller countries to manipulate and dictate trade arrangements to. \nSo thank you, France, for slitting your own throat and making life easier for the rest of us. The EU may still have a chance to get back on its feet and I suggest you take it. Otherwise, you might have just removed Europe from a position of any importance for a very long time.