A Tale of Two Leaders

Oligarchs on the backfoot.

Desperate times invite desperate measures. But part of the blame for the current confusion must fall squarely on the hot-take industry — an ecosystem that treats every development as breathtaking breaking news before the details are known.

Canada and the European Union have not finalized a new relationship. A framework for a different kind of relationship has been proposed. To be honest, even that description may go too far at this stage.

The idea of a two-tier arrangement is not new. Many experts have argued for years that the EU needs such a structure. We at The Concis have made a similar case — not for the EU as a whole, but for SAFE, Europe’s effort to standardize and streamline defence procurement while expanding weapons production across the alliance.

Canada has joined SAFE. Japan is still waiting on an application that appears to have been gathering dust in some dark room in Brussels for months. The United Kingdom wanted in, then did not, and then wanted in again. Europe seemed to have no idea how to handle it.

Our proposal was straightforward: establish two tiers within SAFE — one for EU members and another for participating countries outside the bloc.

The logic is not difficult to understand.

Even within the EU, the unanimity required for major decisions has repeatedly produced paralysis. For years, Vladimir Putin and Western oligarchic interests seeking to weaken…