Whither the European Union?

   Forecasts are always dicey, but there are some early signs that the European Union -- such as it is -- won't last.
   The initial idea, "a kind of United States of Europe," in Winston Churchill's phrase, was and remains a good idea. The concept may have envisioned an organization similar to what brought the United States of America into being. Churchill himself suggested that France and Germany take the lead in forming such a union. That, however, would require burying centuries-old cultural and political habits, for the greater good of member states. (Perhaps such an attitude would be productive for government leaders in Washington today.)
   From its beginning, members of the European Union have debated whether to organize using a federal or an intergovernmental approach to union, with all the benefits that interstate cooperation and planning can bring. But Churchill did not feel that Britain would be a part of the union, except for the economic and free trade part.
   America's advantage in forming its "more perfect union," as the Constitution phrased it in 1789, has been not only an economic union, but a political one as well. And while NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Association, has expanded the economic borders, its members have not surrendered political independence. So it would seem the intergovernmental approach, in North America at any rate, would be the better choice -- a sort of international state's rights movement.
   That, however, has been a big part of the problem in making a success of the European Union -- how to persuade members to yield some political-economic independence for the greater good of all. But that's not surprising, considering that individuals are often reluctant to surrender some of their independence for the good of all. If individual altruism is problematic, mass altruism is even more so.
   Meanwhile, economic problems are spreading across Europe. The unemployment rate in the17 nations that use the euro, the common currency of its members, has risen and now stands at 11.9 percent. Overall, the jobless rate for all 27 members, including those that do not use the euro, is also up, to 10.8 percent. The highest unemployment rates are found in the two nations with the most serious economic problems -- Greece and Spain, with jobless rates of 27 percent and 26.2 percent.
   Some of the members, however, remain economically somewhat healthy, and feel they are bearing the brunt of the crisis in the euro zone, meaning they resent supporting those nations in fiscal trouble. Many ask who's to blame for the problem, and cite irresponsible leadership of the debtor nations. "It's their own fault," is the attitude, and "We should not have to pay when they mess up."
   There is also a long history of political, cultural, economic and fiscal independence, which many are loath to give up. And don't forget the anti-immigration crowd, who resent newcomers from poorer member nations.
   So, will the European Union survive, and open another Golden Door of opportunity for its citizens? Perhaps. But keep in mind the surprise election victory of the anti-immigration Independence Party in Britain.