A time to dream impossible dreams. The New Year holiday season is surely such a time. And one such dream might be a Japan of United States.

It was Jacques Chirac who remarked that what the European Union should aim for is not a United States of Europe but a Europe of United States. While Mr. Chirac's ultimate vision of Europe sounds a bit like Vladimir Putin's Commonwealth of Independent States, it still seems like a more sensible goal for Europe than a copycat version of the USA.

The shape of unions is actually quite an apt topic for 2007. The European Union has just welcomed in two new members: Bulgaria and Romania. It is now a union of no fewer than 27 diverse members. Many people wonder how much farther east the EU's borders should extend.