Battle Specter Minds: The United States of the World

There are those who would characterize the European Union as “The United States of Europe,” and maybe those people have a point. But I think that the title would be more accurate if it were “The European Empire” or “The Imperium of Europe.” The main reason I say this is that the cultural underpinnings of the EU are vastly different than those of the United States. Sure, there is a European culture which the United States also derives much of its ideals from, but whereas the United States codified natural rights into law, and embraced the ideals of individual liberty and sovereignty, the EU has not. The EU more accurately reflects the ideals of Empire in the old view- with an unelected minority deciding the fates of the faceless majority who do the grunt work but have little to no real say in how they are governed. This is what made Brexit such a big deal. Brexit is more analogous to the War for Independence fought by the United States than any other event in it’s history, and when people jokingly said, “Happy Independence Day, Britain,” there was a strong kernel of truth contained within those words.

In 1775, the colonies executed their own “Amerexit” in a way, and altered the course of human events for over two centuries. The colonies break from British rule acted as a catalyst through the British Empire that culminated in the tiny island nation returning to simple tiny island nation status (well- they’re a bit more than that, but the sun does indeed set on the British Empire). The EU then, is the opposite of the Colonies march toward Republic and a step toward the old way of doing business. It has strong cultural roots that have yet to be tested within the continent of Europe as a whole as no nation state has had the drastic change in ideology that the Colonies did in the 1700’s. In fact, it can be said that because Europe was the nexus of the revolutions that allowed for the colonization of the Americas, there was no need for a massive cultural shift as those who would have instigated such a change had somewhere to run (and they did, taking the budding ideals with them).

Now though, Europeans who feel persecuted, or who wish to be governed more effectively or in a different matter, have nowhere to run. No “New World” to set up a new home and live without the arbiter of over bearing government. If a German feels persecuted in Germany- they can’t just jump on a ship and go colonize someplace else. Those days are gone. Now they have to deal with what they got. The old ideas either have to be challenged directly, or the individual has to accept the powers of the status quo and revert to their old line of thinking.

The issue with this is that once a thought has been thought, it is rarely forgot. It may be that now, after the ability to run has been removed, and the cultural patterns of Europe find themselves under attack from immigration and positive reforms find themselves under attack from those in control, that a revolution of sorts is mounting within Europe. Much like the colonies in the late 1700’s, Europeans find themselves at a point where there is nowhere to run, and their only option is to advocate for themselves. We see this occurring on Youtube with the likes of Sargon of Akkad, Computing Forever, and Count Dankula. These people represent their cultures Alexander Hamiltons’, Samuel Adams’, and Thomas Jeffersons’, and their videos represent their cultures version of the Federalist Papers. They speak against an oppressive yoke, and in their own way, like the founding fathers of my nation, stoke the fires of liberty ever hotter with every breath.

And all this leads me to wonder- are we approaching a point in our worlds history where we can see the formation of a United States of the World? Not the United Nations. No. A real USW. The EU wishes to unite Europe as one under a new Empire model, but we are seeing that a model based on the old view of Empire will fall (it already has once, and will doubtless do so again). Really, the cultures that comprise the EU aren’t much different than those that comprise the United States. The US has people descended from every nation in Europe (hell- we have peoples descended from all nations of the WORLD). When it comes to getting peoples of different cultures to cooperate, no country can match the success of the United States. Even with our issues, we still do a better job than just about every other nation, and the reason for that success is rooted in the ideals that the above individuals are busy fighting for- that each American is their own person subject to run their own lives as they wish, and reap the consequences of those choices accordingly. Slowly the people of Europe are figuring this out, and I think that socially they may be close to having a quiet revolution of their own wherein the ideals that have helped my country attain the station that it currently has will begin to spring forth as if from a well within Europe.

And so the question comes to my mind- could the nations of Europe and the United States form the nexus of “The United States of the World,” and chart a new course for human history? A society that stretches across the world based on the principles of individual liberty and sovereignty that govern the conduct of my nation? Could the nations of Europe and the US form an alliance not as nations of their own right bound by the ties of trade, but form a single entity bound by a governing principle with a stake in the survival of the rest? The model has shown itself successful for the last two hundred plus years here with what amounts to fifty unique “countries” being bound under a single federal system of government while maintaining a level of autonomy that allows for unique mini nations to exist. It would be a simple matter to include the nations of Europe (or theoretically any other nation) into the already established framework of our nation. This has already happened once before with the adoption of Texas as a state- Texas was a country of its own before becoming a member of the United States after all.

The laws governing trade between states are already established and already work rather well. Free trade between states, as well as free travel, are hallmarks of our nation. An individual can drive from California to South Carolina without ever being stopped and asked for their papers or having to show a passport. Flights within the United States have the same benefits. Get through customs, and you can go pretty much anywhere you wish. This is a land of freedom, and we take that VERY seriously. So why wouldn’t the new generation of Europeans want to enjoy that freedom as well? The EU attempted to attain the capacity of free trade and freedom of movement, but with an old model that has proved itself untenable as it necessitated a state first ethos. The American model works (or at least has worked so far, though I don’t see it going away any time soon) because the people (the individuals that make up the whole) are put first. Why not incorporate other nations within it as States themselves, and extend to their inhabitants all the freedoms that we- as Americans- already enjoy on a daily basis?

I know a good candidate to start this endeavor- though it would be odd having a State run by a monarchy… Especially given as they were the ones we broke from initially... Kind of like your parents moving into your house... But I’m sure we could make it work. What are your thoughts? Is this merely a pipe dream, or is there a potential for the nations of Europe to become states within the United States and form the basis of "The United States of the World?" I'd love to read your thoughts below.