Column: Irish Lessons in Diplomacy

In this new column for National Journal, I reflect on Ireland's rejection of the EU's new constitutional treaty.

The European Union's latest pratfall--occasioned by Ireland's rejection last week of a new constitutional treaty--is worth noting for several reasons. To begin with, the outcome has practical implications for the United States. The next president will wish to refresh the alliance with Europe. Ireland's vote, however, throws the E.U. into disarray--or let us say that it perpetuates the disarray already in progress. Anyway, the president will be talking to himself: Europe will be too busy gazing at its own innards to look elsewhere.


Beyond this, the E.U.'s inner writhings are an object lesson for romantic internationalists who worry about global governance and see "multilateralism" and the pooling of sovereignty as the way forward. Never forget that the pantomime in Europe is multilateralism writ large.

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