I predict quarts will be around long after the EU is but a bad memory.

"From dictating the size of Coke bottles to dissuading Iran from pursuing its nuclear ambitions, the EU has arrived as a force to be reckoned with."

I didn't read the linked article - but it is satire right? Surely it must be satire with that quote.

We just haven't determined what kind of force they are and how much force we're going to need to push back.

Of course it isn't satire, as you'll see when the EU gets around to writing the specifications for acceptable Weapons of Mass Destruction, which will put the Mullahs into a really terrifying dilemna.

Does the US military use metric because the dreaded EU forces them to?

Some of the new EU rules are quite burdensome. The new directive for total (100%) recycling of electronics will greatly increase costs and prices relative to other countries. This is already causing qualms in the EU member states.

Anonymous-- you really should read the whole article. It's comedic gold, but not satire. The best part is near the end, when they admit, that, sure, France and Germany have terrible economies, and the constitution is about to fall apart, but that doesn't matter because nothing can stop the European juggernaught!

Anonymous was me - I finished the article - I still think its satire. Especially the part with the bullet points - I haven't laughed so hard in days.

"* Europe, with its vastly lower murder rate, government-paid health care and longer life spans, might offer lessons for the United States, where crime rates stay stubbornly high and health care has come under increasing scrutiny."

&

"* Europe, with its emphasis on communalism rather than rugged individualism, is increasingly seen as the model to emulate by nations seeking to integrate traditional culture with the forces of globalization."

Ah, Europe, the model of peaceful communal synergy. If only we'd shaped the USA in the European mould we could have shared in the glory of Europe's 20th century. Blast our pesky rugged individualism.

Seriously, this piece has to be tongue-in-cheek, it is filled with so many contradictions it is literally ridiculous.

liters, etc.--it is ironic that car tires amd wheels are still measured in illegal inches here (USA) and euroland. How long will this fragrant use of illegal measurements escape the wrath of the eurocrats?

It's bound to succeed -- look how long their constitution is.

Your fault. It is only you Americans yourself to blame as you use a non-standard measurement system. Switch to SI system and you will have nothing to whine.