Quick - close your eyes and imagine the scariest thing you can think of. A pit of venomous snakes? An IRS audit? Glancing at the car next to you and realizing that Charlie Sheen is driving it? How about committing your company's resources and not knowing what the financial return is going to be? That is exactly what buyers and supply chain professionals have to do every day when they buy products and move them through their supply chains to customers.

Schadenfreude is the act of deriving pleasure from observing the misfortunes of others. It helps to explain our enjoyment of tragedy, comedy and reality TV. It's also a convenient emotion to access when we read about economies that are in worse shape than ours. We would be well-advised, however, not to submit to the urge to feel superior to the slow-motion train wreck that is the European Union. What's happening in that dysfunctional coalition promises to have severe consequences for U.S. exporters.