Britain’s disdain of the European Union might be costly, as you claim, but I certainly hope it is far from foolish (“Britain’s Costly Disdain,” November 3, 2007). True, the British must not turn their backs on the Union, mentally or otherwise, but they must not be sucked in at any cost, either. Gordon Brown’s view of the Union as another multilateral organization at best, and as an irrelevance at worst, thus strikes me as about right. For Britain could not only gain most by playing the Union off other multilateral organizations, but it could also help other European countries learn the old trick. And many should. Here, the British are likely to remain well ahead of the pack, but all the others stand to gain, as well. Multilateral organizations headed by America, Russia, and China, are forgotten at everyone’s peril. Playing these powers off each other is the Union’s best hope for the future.