[Chapter 752: The Dream of Revival]
November 1st was a particularly significant day for the Europeans. The Maastricht Treaty had been signed for nearly two years, and today marked its official implementation.
First and foremost, it had to be said that the Americans were quite displeased with the treaty. Come on, the Soviets just collapsed, and you guys turn your backs right after? That's downright outrageous. It's just a matter of grabbing some benefits. Without us, the situation in the world would be unimaginable.
Laughing, one could later observe from history that the Japan and that Germany were quite the outcomes of their meddling. If it hadn't been for a misjudgment of the situation, and if that little mustache hadn't gone nuts, there wouldn't have been a reason for a two-front war.
I remember a television show where a viewer asked how world peace could be achieved. The host, representing the American side, threw the puzzle piece of the U.S. into the trash.
So easy.
See? It was that simple. As long as that entity didn't exist, even if conflicts persisted, they wouldn't be nearly as intense.
In fact, the Americans finally grew tired of it all. Afghanistan was a particular mess that they just couldn't handle anymore.
A bunch of European partners huddled together, which was more out of helplessness than anything else. With such a large group, there had always been contradictions. And let's not even mention one particular anomaly.
England joined the EU but decided to keep its own currency.
Honestly, the Maastricht Treaty was more like a half-baked affair. The Americans had really made a mess of it, which forced them to scramble for a solution.
You know, dear England, you are such a fool. You can marry someone if you want, but you don't have to live together first. You can just watch from the sidelines. You want to enjoy the benefits but are unwilling to pay. That's just ridiculous.
When England eventually opted for Brexit, no one was surprised. This had been destined from the start. You either teamed up with your little cousin or joined the European family. Playing a balancing act at that point usually led to disaster.
You guys had pulled that stunt in World War I and II, and now you were at it again. They say that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it, yet the British exemplified that perfectly.
...
"Jason, it's freezing in New York. Are you really running back to California for a vacation?"
"Nope, my wife wants to have the baby in California. She doesn't like cold places."
"California? Oh my God, do you realize how terrible the air quality is there? You should either go to Houston or to Lanai. What's the point of having a baby in L.A.? I truly don't get it."
"Ahem, well, she doesn't like desolation, so let's stick with Houston. Is L.A.'s air that bad?"
"Of course! I run a refinery, so I know just how terrible it is."
"Alright, boss, maybe I'll just let her go to Australia then. Can't we have gasoline standards like the EU?"
William White paused, chuckling to himself. This EU, so familiar in a past life, seemed oddly strange now. He acknowledged that he had indeed been back in this world for quite a while.
"The EU, yes, old Europe really is huddling together." Jason Garrison shifted the topic without a care. To him, the guy was acting a little weird, aside from those moments of nonsense.
"Boss, is Europe really trying to escape our control like this?"
"Ha! They were aristocrats to begin with. It's like being descended from old money. Just think, if it weren't for the French, the U.S. might not even exist. Now it's probably comparable to Australia. And then there's England, who once was top dog. The psychological gap they're experiencing is not trivial."
They could't stand the nouveau riche character of the Americans, and this really didn't start now. These guys in Europe are more or less jealous.
"At this point, it might just be too late. No matter how strong the EU claims to be, they are not a singular nation. Besides, aside from France and Germany, the rest are dead weight. Ha! If those two merged, there would definitely be something worth watching. The French are a wild card; they should be pretty good at politics. The Germans could handle the economics. If that were the case, there might actually be some hope."
Fine, Jason Garrison just ignored the British. The only thing they could really put on the table was finance. Honestly, without a corresponding industry, you couldn't get ahead with finance.
Look, when people played the gold and foreign exchange games, they went to London. If you genuinely wanted to raise funds through an IPO, Wall Street would still be the best choice.
Without solid production capabilities and lacking significant consumer power, England's position in the EU was indeed quite awkward. It wasn't that they didn't want to ditch the pound; if they did, their status could reset to even below that of the Sicilians.
"Ha! It doesn't really matter. In numerical terms, they do have the capacity to contend. Population, GDP, technology, production, consumption. And don't forget, Jason, they don't need to allocate much for military expenses."
"Seems like we really need to step up our French programming."
"Buddy, this can't be delayed any longer. Go check out Africa; half the places speak French."
"Boss, you make it sound easy, but the ratings of those shows aren't necessarily appealing to advertisers. Fine, fine, don't glare at me; I'll speed things up once we get this sorted out."
"Finally, that's better. Sigh, if only Africa wasn't at war. These guys ought to at least want to eat burgers and drink cola."
Having finished their banter, the two friends naturally headed off to grab a meal. Fast food was fine occasionally, but for someone like William White, these high-calorie options weren't the best fit anymore.
Regardless, the higher-ups at Washington couldn't afford to overlook the existence of the EU. For them, it was a very bad signal. At least economically, they now had a formidable competitor.
Using the Plaza Accord to bring down Japan was going to be impossible again. It wasn't just the yen that had to appreciate; the mark appreciated as well. That scene with the Japan simply wasn't going to have an encore performance.
*****
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