Charlemagne The EU: Made in America
F ROM THE Big Mac to the nuclear bomb, the list of 20th-century America’s achievements is long. In a remarkable period of invention, America bestowed human flight, superglue, rock and roll, the Saturn V rocket, Pop Tarts and the internet upon humanity. One American innovation from this era receives much less attention: the European Union.
The EU is an American creation, as much as a European one. In the middle of the 20th century, there were more European federalists in Washington than in Brussels. Senators bashed out resolutions declaring: “Congress favours the creation of a United States of Europe.” The Marshall Plan, a torrent of post-war funding for the crippled continent, came on the condition that European countries meld themselves together. George Kennan, an American diplomat, summed up American policy: “We hoped to force the Europeans to think like Europeans, and not like nationalists.” Forget Jean Monnet. When it comes to naming founding fathers for the EU, the list should start with President Harry Truman.
When Joe Biden swung by Brussels on June 15th, he reiterated a long-standing American goal. In a festival of back-slapping, the president heaped compliments on the EU and stressed that an integrated club was in everyone’s interests. Donald Trump did his best to bury the thing, attacking it at every opportunity and loudly supporting Brexit. With Mr Trump gone, America has returned to its normal role of trying to make Europeans get along.
