But the EU does not take security matters seriously. The left in Europe is pacifist. It is anti-American because it opposes US realism about security affairs. It prefers lack of realism, a fantasy world in which security issues aren't real and can be made to go away by ardent wishful thinking and some street theater.
The result is, any EU that would fund a real military would not oppose the US. Any EU that would oppose the US will not fund a real military. Or act with any realism on the world stage. All they are going to do is whine. If they stopped whining, they would also stop opposing US influence in the world.
There is thus no political prospect of a powerful EU as a rival to the US. Pacifism makes them willing to oppose us politically, but unwilling to actually act on the world stage. It makes them utterly irrelevant in world politics. They aren't a vote against US positions, they are a vote against reality. And that does not shape reality. It just leaves the shaping of reality to others who chose to face it.
Very, very well put.
When you merge three failing firms you don't get one successful firm. You get one big failing firm.
The hard truth is that the European man in the street has not the least intention of making the sacrifices that would be necessary to give Europe any real military power. And why should he ? Are American Gestapo prying his fingernails out ? Are pretty European girls in American army brothels ? Are Europeans being enslaved to work in American arms factories and farms ? Are we looting European resources ? He intends to keep his 35 hour workweek, retire at 50, six week vacation way of life.