France Votes "Non"

As I alluded to in an earlier post, France had its big vote on the EU Constitution this past weekend. And they voted it down.

So, it is back to the drawing board and the negotiating table for the EU, but the future is not too bright right now. The essential split between EU members strikes me as an economic one - a free trade bloc headed by the UK and newer members of the EU is opposing the interests and heft of a protectionist bloc headed by France and Germany. France voted the EU Constitution down because it did not let them protect their trade enough; the UK is likely to vote it down because the prospective EU government will interfere too much. I don't see a way for these divergent interests to be reconciled.

From an American standpoint, that may be a good thing. France and Germany have been flogging the EU has a "counterweight" to the United States. Putting all of Europe under one foreign policy, where France and Germany are more equal than the other members and the UK silenced, would not be good for the United States.

More discussion here.

Updates:
A better summary and analysis, from the International Herald-Tribune here.
From the Chicago Sun-Times: A viable "Plan B."
From National Review: The EU Meets Democracy.