> There is no reason or proofs that suggests it can’t happen again What we have seen is that EU-Europe has after hundreds of years of war now has a long period

> There is no reason or proofs that suggests it can’t happen again What we have seen is that EU-Europe has after hundreds of years of war now has a long period of stability. We see that it also has an effective EU-wide political moderation system for common values. > As a non-EU country, they can instead undermine EU policy (ie: lower taxes, cut standards, etc..) in order to attract companies (near-shoring). Taxes are not generally EU-wide regulated. Near-shoring is much easier INSIDE the EU - being a near-shore offering company is inside the common market MASSIVELY simpler. That's for example why many German companies build factories in neighboring countries. Countries geographically/economically next to the EU, but not inside the EU, are still under massive influence. Before the EU, most European countries synchronized their currency with the German DM (Deutsche Mark). There was also a monetary mechanism to do that. Basically the German central bank dictated much of the currency policy in EU, more or less indirectly. Nowadays that power has been delegated to the European central bank, where the German influence is reduced. > The US will be happy to see the EU crash into a thousands easily manipulated city-states than the current status quo. Not at all. Maybe the populist right of the republicans. Other than those, both Republicans and Democrats see the EU and its member states as allies. The EU provides stability and that is in the interest of everyone. > the Russian threat for now which justifies the existence of the EU The Russian threat justifies the existence of NATO. The EU has an independent justification of its existence. The existence of the EU is also a 'threat' to the Russian political system, since it exposes its lack of freedom, lack of democracy and the lack of prosperity of its people. Russia has nothing comparable to offer to its people and also not to the countries it tries to control.