The weird resilience of the EU

TL;DR

Janan Ganesh argues the EU has shown unexpected staying power despite predictions of collapse.
A decade after Brexit fears of falling 27 dominoes, no other member has quit.
Nationalism has not made leaving the bloc a mainstream option, defying early forecasts.[[1]](https://www.ft.com/content/927ef2c7-cbf3-4bc1-9bdd-f9884a09d878)

The story at a glance

Janan Ganesh, an FT columnist, examines why the EU remains intact 10 years into a nationalist era sparked around Brexit. He notes that despite early warnings of a domino effect, the bloc's 27 members have held firm and exit talk stays fringe. This piece appears now as recent events like Hungary's political shifts test EU unity.[[1]](https://www.ft.com/content/927ef2c7-cbf3-4bc1-9bdd-f9884a09d878)[[2]](https://www.ft.com/europe)

Key points

Headline frames the EU's survival as "weird resilience" amid ardent nationalism.[[1]](https://www.ft.com/content/927ef2c7-cbf3-4bc1-9bdd-f9884a09d878)
Subtitle: "A decade into the age of nationalism, the idea of quitting the club is still remarkably taboo."[[3]](https://www.ft.com/opinion)
Visible teaser recalls predictions that Brexit would topple the rest like 27 dominoes, but they still stand.[[1]](https://www.ft.com/content/927ef2c7-cbf3-4bc1-9bdd-f9884a09d878)
Ganesh portrays the EU as a "supranational club" that should be "fighting for its life" yet endures.[[1]](https://www.ft.com/content/927ef2c7-cbf3-4bc1-9bdd-f9884a09d878)
No further member exits have happened, keeping the bloc at 27 countries post-UK departure.

Details and context

The column reflects on roughly 10 years since Brexit (2016 referendum), when critics feared a cascade of exits from Greece to Italy amid eurozone woes and populism. Ganesh highlights how nationalism boosted fringe voices but failed to normalise leaving the EU, unlike the UK's case.[[4]](https://www.ft.com/content/927ef2c7-cbf3-4bc1-9bdd-f9884a09d878?syn-25a6b1a6=1)

This resilience comes amid ongoing strains: Hungary's Viktor Orbán era winding down with EU fund conditions tied to reforms, and broader geopolitical shocks like energy crises from Middle East tensions. Yet the "taboo" on quitting persists, per the piece's framing.[[2]](https://www.ft.com/europe)

Ganesh's biweekly takes often blend UK politics with Europe and US trends; this fits his pattern of questioning populist narratives.[[5]](https://www.ft.com/janan-ganesh)

Key quotes

None reliably sourced from full text.

Why it matters

The EU's unexpected stability shapes global trade, security, and migration rules that affect billions. For businesses and investors, it means reliable single-market access without further breakups; for UK readers, a reminder that Brexit was an outlier. Watch Hungary's post-Orbán path and any far-right gains in upcoming votes, though full collapse looks unlikely based on current trends.[[6]](https://www.ft.com/emerging-markets)