Mr. Pierini blames EU treaty law for giving the U.K., France and Germany the power to stifle a common foreign policy and says the separation of aid and humanitarian assistance from the EU's diplomatic decision-making has undermined some of the soft power it can otherwise project.

WSJ: Syria Debate Illustrates EU's Foreign-Policy Weakness

And when our soft data turns out to be wrong, it can have disastrous consequences for our decision-making processes.

FORBES: Slowing Down to Go Fast