Free Preview of Members-Only Content
To view the requested intelligence, you must be a Stratfor.com member.
Former Polish President Lech Walesa says the European Union's current economic and democratic policies "can't stand the pressure of the 21st century." Czech President Vaclav Klaus, meanwhile, says he is unconcerned that his country's pro-U.S. policy on Iraq differs from that of the larger EU membership.
The separate May 4 statements will grate on many European leaders -- particularly those in Berlin and Paris. Regardless of what they think, however, Europe is changing into a less federalist and more pro-U.S. entity -- and the pace of that change will only accelerate in the years ahead.
The EU expanded from 15 members to 25 members May 1 with the addition of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Malta and Cyprus. For many Western European leaders, expansion is more than just an effort to finally heal the Cold War breach between Western Europe and the Soviet satellite states once locked behind the Iron Curtain. Expansion is about strengthening Europe into an effective power in global politics. Germany and France in particular see expansion as a way of transforming the EU into a powerful counterweight to the United States.
| Stratfor Members, please log in at the top left hand corner |
