What I don't understand about the EU is why they set it up to be undemocratic? No one from the member states elects the EU. This is in stark contrast to the American system where there is a distribution of power between the states and the federal government, and it is all democratic to some extent. It seems the EU was looking to the old Soviet Union's socialist system instead of the U.S.'s democratic system when setting up the distribution of power.

That said, I think both the U.S. and the EU are dealing with the same problem; a complete breakdown of democracy. Instead of the West being ruled by the will of the people, it is ruled by corporate interests, the military industrial complex, and various social groups. The will of the people is never followed.

The 'Corporate' West is thinking the postindustrial economy of computer chips, information, and banking will dominate over the industrial economy of oil production and manufacturing creating a new postmodern colonialism. I think this is a false assumption. The EU's outsourcing energy production to Russia, making them a colony, requires the postindustrial economy to completely control their industrial economy. We have seen this doesn't work, and instead there is simply a decoupling of the industrial from the postindustrial economy. What we are seeing today is the 'colonies' of Russia, China, and other industrial economies rise up against the postindustrial economies of the West.

The West has a choice. Double down on making the rest of the world a colony, or develop its own manufactering and industrial economy to support its postindustrial economy. Unfortunately, with the U.S.'s capture by the military industrial complex, I think the West will continue its agenda of turning the rest of the world into a colony.