No, not all, absolutely not haha.
I just mean that European systems (Uk excepted) is really different. And even in Europe, each State has its own kind.
A PhD in Europe in three years because you have to get an MA before the PhD, while in the US you get an MA during your PhD.
Even applications are really different. There are two cases: or you apply for a PhD on a particular subject, or you choose one, the former being more frequent in Nordic countries, the latter in France, for instance. In both cases you have to present, in your application, your dissertation project which is from 10p to 20. Finally, you have to find a supervisor before applying.
I really do not think that one is better than the other. As you say it depends a lot on what you want to do.
But I'd say, from what I hear, by comparaison with France, is that in the US you're far more integrated in a department. In France many PhD student have few or no connection at all with their department, doing their dissertation on their own - but there are may be more link between departments. France being smaller, there are a lot of connection between the universities, all the more that all of them are public, and a few semi-public. I, myself, is now in a PhD preparatory year in Paris giving classes in Evry and Lille.
Moreover, the division in the social science is really different. Anthropologist from the US would not be consider like that in some European country. In the same way, many sociologists, historians and politics in Europe would be considered as Anthropologist in the US. Both my past advisors are Historian and Politics but are considered as anthropologist in the US.