POLAND
Thomas Friedman has a rather light piece today:
I found the cure to anti-Americanism: Come to Poland.
After two years of traveling almost exclusively to Western Europe and the Middle East, Poland feels like a geopolitical spa. I visited here for just three days and got two years of anti-American bruises massaged out of me. Get this: people here actually tell you they like America — without whispering. What has gotten into these people? Have all their subscriptions to Le Monde Diplomatique expired? Haven’t they gotten the word from Berlin and Paris? No, they haven’t. In fact, Poland is the antidote to European anti-Americanism. Poland is to France what Advil is to a pain in the neck. Or as Michael Mandelbaum, the Johns Hopkins foreign affairs specialist, remarked after visiting Poland: “Poland is the most pro-American country in the world — including the United States.”
It’s worth a read.
I was also amused by the non-sequitur at the end:
Maureen Dowd is on vacation.
What are they implying? That Dowd is Polish? That people only came to Friedman’s column hoping to find Dowd?
…that Dowd being on vacation is the best reason the syndicate can come up with for people to read Friedman?
James, I just noticed that your Poliblog link under reciprocals sends people to Steven’s old blogspot site.
A great place to visit indeed. Haven’t been myself yet (I’m stationed in Germany so it’s a future weekend getaway for me) but many who have report the same reception.
A favorable exchange rate and low cost goods and services don’t hurt either. Much of the former eastern bloc is the same. The Czech Republic is another great example, Romania and Bulgaria are eager for American visits too. You’ll hear talk of moving military installations from Germany to more “forward” locations. These countries are on the short list.
But kolks considering visiting won’t want to move too slow. The economic advantages may vaporize when these nations join the EU.
“Folks” not kolks.
BTW James, there’s no link to source above.
—