The EU is a large democratic alliance and economic union that has helped bring peace to a continent once plagued by war. It’s not perfect, but it’s far superior to the idea of a Russia-dominated Europe being pushed by the far-right.
For many years, Russia has sought to weaken the world’s liberal democracies. Unable to compete in economic strength and population with either NATO or the European Union, Russia has sought instead to fracture those alliances so they could pick off countries one by one. A key part of that strategy is to break up the European Union.
Now, Russia has U.S. allies in that goal, with the Trump Administration expressing growing hostility to the EU, and Twitter owner Elon Musk calling for the EU to be broken up – calls backed by Russian officials:
Remember, countries join the EU through the passage of legislation in democratically elected Parliaments and – in many cases – after direct referenda. Countries can also leave, as the UK demonstrated about a decade ago. It is a democratic alliance. Meanwhile, Russia is an empire that brutalizes its own people, is brutalizing the people of Ukraine and attempting to wipe out Ukrainian sovereignty, and threatens peaceful nations like Canada.
Further, those who oppose the EU often also oppose NATO, since the endgame for the authoritarians on the far-right is for the world to be broken up into spheres of influence dominated by the U.S., China, and Russia, and for ‘smaller countries’ like Canada, France, Germany, the UK, Poland, etc, to be forced into completely subservient roles in one of those power blocs.
Meanwhile, alliances like NATO and the collective strength the EU provides to Europe, give more leverage to ‘smaller countries’ and ensure that the world is not carved up between three authoritarians. That’s why it’s in Canada’s interest to stand with the European Union and continue deepening our military and economic ties with the EU in the face of a rising threat from Russia and authoritarian extremism.
Spencer Fernando
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