Balance of Power

Europe Looks Frail When It Needs to Be Strong

The European Union still seems overshadowed by other global powers.
Farmers at a protest against the Mercosur deal in Brussels on Thursday.Photographer: Wiktor Dabkowski/Bloomberg

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European Union officials have spent the past few days tackling the familiar and dispiriting task of trying to convince the world that a couple of unsightly fudges represents a decisive demonstration of the bloc’s economic and geopolitical power.