The difference between the EU and the US becomes very clear during times like these.
In the US, the federal government steps in.
In the EU, all the borders are closed off, and it's every country for itself.
The EU can't enforce any of its laws by force, because it has no armed forces, nothing like the US National Guard.
EU directives aren't implemented directly. Instead, each member state works them into their own legislations.
It's a much weaker union than the US.
The US also has a national mythos with battles and heroes.
The EU? A bunch of men in suits agreed to sign a trade agreement. Not exactly a story that moves the heart.
The EU has a flag and an anthem, but it never touched anyone. It didn’t have to fight for its independence or be the David that confronted the Goliath. It was just seen as sensible and practical, and that’s just not very sexy.
Because you don't really need a war with mountains of dead bodies to have a successful country.
The whole point of EU was to get rid of national tribalism rather than reinforce it by some random "us vs them" mythology.
As someone who migrated from one country that was screwed up for centuries due to primitive nationalism to another country that just screwed up for the same reason, I can really appreciate the peaceful cooperation at the EU level without all that "excitement".
