Thread

EU chief opens door for Canada to become 'associate member'

693 points · 905 comments · hackernj

Barrin92 · 1789556684 · focus · HN ↗
I'm proud to live in the EU because for all its faults we have one thing going for us, we seem to be the only large institution that countries still want to voluntarily join, and can voluntarily leave.
In a world in which the other great powers revive the Monroe Doctrine or threaten their magnitude smaller neighbors with annexation we're not doing so badly. There is an inherent pettiness, weakness and fake strength in autocracy and force and it's often why I think the EU receives so much disproportionate hate.
1. graemep · 1789556911 · focus · HN ↗
  The UK left, Iceland just voted not to join.
  The EU does not have a military to annex any neighbours with. Individual states do, but non are really great powers any more.
  1. lefra · 1789557952 · focus · HN ↗
    "Annexing neighbour" is clearly a non-goal of the EU. One of the reason of its existence is to put an end to european countries invading each others all the time.

Unofficial Hacker News client; not affiliated with Y Combinator.