The Illusion of the EU as a Counterbalance to the US

The European Union was presented to the public as a necessary economic and political counterweight to the United States. The idea was that by uniting European economies, the continent could stand on equal footing with the dominant US dollar and global influence of America. However, this vision was far from the reality that unfolded. European leaders such as François Mitterrand, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, Helmut Kohl, and Helmut Schmidt used this argument to manipulate their populations into compliance, selling them a dream of economic stability and geopolitical strength while failing to disclose the hidden costs and external influences shaping the EU’s trajectory. The United Kingdom, in contrast, made the shrewd decision to retain the British pound, avoiding many of the economic pitfalls that came with the Euro’s implementation.