Popular democratic governments are a danger to the world

The 1957 Rome Treaty extended the earlier co-operation within the European Coal and Steel Community and created the European Economic Community, (EEC) establishing a customs union and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) for co-operation in developing nuclear energy. In 1967 the Merger Treaty created a single set of institutions for the three communities, which were collectively referred to as the European Communities (EC), although commonly just as the European Community.

The European Union was formally established when the Maastricht Treaty came into force on November 1, 1993. In 2002, euro notes and coins replaced national currencies in 12 of the Member States. Since then, the eurozone has increased to encompass 16 countries.

The constituent countries still maintain their national identities, culture and language but are unlikely to go to war with each other. Hopefully the United States, Australia and other countries that maintain democratic norms will eventually join the Union.

Armies formed by such unions will be less likely to be sent to war for national aggrandisement and more likely to be used for genuine defence.

They would be less likely to be sent to war since the citizens of the European Union do not have the intense loyalties that they had to Germany, France, England etc. In fact the Europeans recognise that the “Brussels bureaucrats” are necessary but are not people, like de Gaulle, Hitler or Churchill, who would inspire devotion. A nation reduced to a convenient administrative unit is not a danger to world peace.