INTERVIEW WITH STEINBACH - "Polish-German Relations can't get any worse"

Therefore it is good to know that America is such a mature nation that it can abstain from such a primitive policy even if some of its citizens are obviously thinking in such categories.

And, as I say, I'm kidding.

My reference was to the article, and the lady who seems determined to drive a wedge between Germans and Poles (and I see a few Poles on the other side of the line trying to do the same).

Poland and Germany are natural partners, and for that matter Poland is well situated (and has a lot of experience) for doing business and investments in Russia. Its a shame that some people let past rivalries get in the way. But mostly those people don't matter, because they aren't the ones launching projects and hatching investment deals. The people who matter are doing what ought to be done.

My snotty comment was also a reference to the fact that we've had a tough couple of years with both Germany and France, and we've been surprised to find that who we thought were friends weren't and who we never noticed before, were.

I don't think we're over it with France, and probably won't be while Chirac sits in the palace and outside a jail cell (not to mention the execrable Villepin). With Germany we are anxious to let bygones be bygones, just as soon as Schroeder goes into retirement. We don't expect to be friends with the French, but we thought we were friends with Germany.

Seeing Merckel emerge as a player in German politics makes us think that maybe there is a chance for us to, if not to rebuild the formal alliance of old, at least to see an occasional friendly face among Germans.

Yes, I do know that even during the worst of times in our relationship, German police, German military and intel have been right there with us all the way. What things look like on the surface is never the whole story, and believe it or not I appreciate it. If the German Left hates us, they couldn't possibly hate us any more than the American and Canadian Left.

My remark about Ukraine was a reference to my own concern, two-edged, that bringing Ukraine into the EU would be huge, hugely important, but it might swamp the boat, so to speak. On the other hand failure to bring them in almost guarantees that they fall back into Moscow's orbit. I would like to see Ukraine get itself squared away such that it could be a real candidate for membership in the union, but its hard right now to imagine it.

Turkey is another story. At one level it seems an enormous opportunity for them, but almost certain destruction of the EU, the EU would ultimately implode I fear. The classic Turkish secularist patriot would probably be a good citizen of the Union but unfortunately he brings a lot of baggage with him. Or so I fear.

My American paranoia is mistrustful of the EU, at one level, but at another level I can't help but see it as an enormous challenge, an enormous opportunity, but one that hinges on the fact that the people who form the partnership are at the heart people of a common culture. The Union can no doubt metabolize certain cultural differences and be the better for it, but too much too quick would be, well, too much too quick.

If the US should be reliant on the dissension of other nations it would be simply a evidence of their incapacity.

Yeah, yeah, you're right. On the other hand, when other countries are united against us, a little dissension is a Godsend. Hey, you work with what you've got to work with.

cheers

Good comment!

Personally I do not think that the arguments between France and America will last forever. Both countries have simular interests like free trade, wealth and last but not least securtity. Furthermore Chirac is already on his way to a comfortable home for the elderly, since his successor Sarkozy seems to be already in in the starting blocks to take over the french office of the president. Sarkozy probably will do a much more reasonable foreign policy than Chirac ever did. I am a littlebit afraid that French politicians use the current weakness of the new German gouvernment to take over the political lead in Europe. We have to wait and see. Anyway the French feel themselves as "la grande nation" just as you Americans live "in God's own country". If somebody is standing on the outside he has to respect such existential orientations, even if they are sometimes quite funny. As I already said, America should be mature enough to deal with such childish French BS.

You see, there is one thing about that center, that I'm really affraid of.

I don't really know what is the level of history education in German schools - especially considering WW2.
I've read, that young Germans are being taught about holocaust, and tragedy of Jewish people during WW2 (which is good).
But I've also read, that knowledge about what happened to ethnic Poles during that time is not very common in Germany.

You have already a Holocaust memorial in Berlin. And now you're also going to have that center to commemorate the expelled - also in Berlin.

And the problem is, that after - let's say - 20 years Germans will now, that there were 2 main groups of victims of WW2 - the Jewish victims of Holocaust and the German victims of expulsions.

Another problem is that those expulsions must be placed in their proper historical context - why they actually happened.

It's very common - when writing about atrocities of WW2 - that people name the pepetrators as "Nazis", not calling their nationality (I think even you do so - as far as I remember).
At the same time many people (especially some American Jews - even here, on FR) maintain, that Poles were co-responsible for Holocaust.
I've also read about a research in schools in California.
Pupils were asked many questions relating to history. One of them was something like "What nationality were Nazis?". And the most common answer was ... Polish.

And this is something that I'm really affraid of.

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