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

693 points · 905 comments · hackernj

  1. noir_lord · · focus · HN ↗
    Good, if the middle power democracies don't align/work together they are going to get torn apart in the struggle between the US and China.
    1. 0xpgm · · focus · HN ↗
      One thing that is common about middle democracies is that prioritize a bureaucratic elite structure over an entrepreneurship culture, while both the US and China embrace entreprenuership wholeheartedly.

      If they changed that they'd perhaps become world powers themselves.

      1. InsideOutSanta · · focus · HN ↗
        It's interesting to me that people generally see Europe's regulations as interfering with entrepreneurship, while they see American decisions that give more power to multinational corporations at the expense of smaller companies as a normal part of a free market.
        1. hilbert42 · · focus · HN ↗
          "…as a normal part of a free market."

          That's unfettered capitalism at work—"free" implies no bounds. Multinational corporations have never been more powerful now than at anytime in history.

          1. mcv · · focus · HN ↗
            And that hurts the free market. A free market should be transparent, have low barriers to entry, and not be dominated by monopolies or cartels. There's nothing free about American capitalism.
          2. InsideOutSanta · · focus · HN ↗
            > "free" implies no bounds

            No bounds for whom?

            Your implied premise is that private companies cannot impede others' freedom, which isn't true. In unfettered capitalism, only the largest corporations have the power and money to be free.

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