How the EU really sees the world

Above is an advert released by the EU today, making the case for more EU enlargement. It was pulled almost immediately, and you can see why. The advert inadvertantly exposes the worldview at the heart of many EU types: one that wants a Fortress Europe, closed off from nasty foreigners in Asia, Africa and the Americas. It's hard to see how any internationalist could defend the EU.

Critics of the EU are often accused of being "Little Englanders". In the light of rhetoric like this from the EU it's clear that the mindset behind the EU itself is little more than Little Englanderism writ large across the continent — still preoccupied with keeping out scary foreigners and closing Europe off from alien cultures. If the EU is offering an insular Europe that demonizes and builds walls against foreigners, I would turn it down. There's a whole world out there to trade and engage with.