COLUMN: “Europe’s Marxist dilemma: It is easier to influence a country before than after it joins the club,” by Charlemagne, The Economist, 26 April 2008, p. 72.

Contrary to Parag Khanna’s optimism in Second World, the EU is having a lot of trouble rebranding east central European states once they’re let into the union. Seems once they’re in, they don’t take advice from Brussels so seriously, aping the sloppy compliance from most of the old EU members. It’s basically the new guys saying, “Well, so-and-so doesn’t meet that criteria either, so why the heck should I?” As for the stiff fines for persistent offense outlined in the EU accords? The EU does not apply them. Yet another good reason why we shouldn’t expect the EU to become anything close to what we fear from China: the legendary “near-peer competitor”!