Interesting perception. I’d like to know more about your definition of 'exporting culture’- us Europeans exported our culture quite a lot throughout the past few hundred years and it’s fair to say that not everybody appreciated it. Certainly the loss of empire following WW2 made us less powerful and ‘exceptional' but it needed to happen. Colonialism was never a model that could be sustained. (If I’m misinterpreting let me know)

In terms of paying for defence I don’t think it’s unreasonable that Europe relied heavily upon the US postwar given the superpower status of the USSR, especially considering the fact that, as you said, the war was catastrophic. Recently I actually agreed with Donald Trump (yes, really) on NATO spending as many nations are not fulfilling their treaty obligations. And if Crimea taught us anything, it’s that you’ve got to keep an eye on Russia.

And now the EU. I supported remain, but it’s complicated. Sovereignty was a big issue but the EU is made up of its constituent member states, not some external force as many portrayed it. The Euro was a mistake, one that thankfully my own country was not a part of, though I feel as though the EU has for a large part been scapegoated for a number of other issues (NHS problems, impacts of global crash in 2008). But I don’t see the EU as a threat to European culture and identity as many claim.