From America's heartland: Europe drops out of the picture
Wayne Merry International Herald Tribune
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
rans-Atlantic relations look different from the American heartland than from Washington. Along the Potomac, the word Europe evokes images of rivalry if not outright hostility. For Washington, Europe is increasingly a problem - or set of problems - to be managed rather than a partner in solving problems.
A recent study by the German Marshall Fund of the United States documents broad and increasing European animosity toward the United States but also shows that large majorities of Americans "want to maintain a close partnership with Europe and support a stronger European partner to help manage global challenges." Does this study accurately reflect American views?
Over the past four months I have explored that question in Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Kansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Tennessee and Massachusetts under the auspices of the American Committees on Foreign Relations. My audiences were a self-selected and elite sample, but perhaps the more interesting as local opinion leaders. Their views are by no means uniform, so this synthesis leaves out much nuance.
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http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/12/27/opinion/edmerry.html