Epsilon_Tauri

Yes of course it's hard work, in many cases fragile, and nothing happens automatically.

The 'inorexably' part was rather referring to the fact that we are in a phase of realignment post US leadership, where other democratic nations by necessity must find new ways to partner. Exactly how this will look is still uncertain.

The EU itself is becoming increasingly integrated with the free movement, common currency, aligned education system etc etc, but these things take a lot of time, not the least identity-wise. For sure, my children feel more European than I did growing up in what was then a non-member state.

So outright membership is likely not the route for overseas friends, but it seems we are inexorably moving towards a closer cooperation between a group of democratic countries outside the sphere of non-democratic China and ever more erratic US. Hopefully this will be an association which is less dependent on one single member than the western world has been under US lead.

It seems very likely the EU, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK would be part of this. Japan and Korea are still very US-dependent but given the lack of enthusiasm the US is showing its former allies, this may change quickly. I also expect growing cooperation with some of the south-American countries.

The world is definitely under realignment politically.