For some Central Europeans, US losing luster
Political, economic future is seen to lie with Europe
By Susan Milligan, Globe Staff | March 3, 2005
BUDAPEST -- Frustrated by travel restrictions and uneasy about the war in Iraq, Central European citizens who once pledged unstinting allegiance to the United States are now recalling their European roots and looking to a united Europe for their economic and political futures.
Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic -- what Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called ''new Europe" in an apparent slap at Western European nations which opposed the war in Iraq -- still profess affection and appreciation for the United States because of its role in bringing down the Soviet empire that long dominated them. The governments of the three Central European nations all supported the war in Iraq and provided troops and assistance there.
But some of their citizens are more skeptical, worrying that their role as new NATO members might draw the region into further armed conflicts just as the nations are emerging from decades of communist rule. And the ease of traveling and working in fellow European Union nations -- compared with the difficulty of securing visas to travel to the United States -- is making ''old Europe" a more attractive ally, analysts and local residents say.
''It's changing. Central Europeans are waking up to the reality that from here on out, their bread is going to be buttered more in Brussels than in Washington," said Charles Kupchan, director of European studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington.
A decade ago, Central Europe was heavily focused on getting into the US-dominated North Atlantic Treaty Organization and assuring their security in the region. Hungarians, Poles, and Czechs spoke worriedly then of the possibility that Russia might one day menace its neighbors again. But now, Central Europeans are paying attention to building their economies and making their mark in a united Europe, Kupchan said.
That trend is apparent in the Hungarian capital.
Prices in Hungary, which were once listed in Hungarian forints and US dollars, are now displayed in forints and Euros, the pan-European currency that has been steadily strengthening against the dollar. Western Europeans are buying real estate here, and the local newspapers are owned largely by Swiss and German interests.
And while Central Europeans -- especially the Poles -- have a historical fondness for the United States, the cultural and political differences between Europe and the United States are present here as well, European analysts note. Europeans in general are at odds with the United States on matters such as the death penalty, the role of international institutions, religiosity, and the environment, said James Goldgeier, a Europe expert at George Washington University.
The war in Iraq, Budapesters say, underscored the disenchantment some have here with their longtime friend.
Andras Rado, a 25-year-old student at Central European University in Budapest, said the image of the United States has suffered among members of his generation, who are looking instead to places like Germany, Scandinavia, and Great Britain for higher-paying jobs and international experience. Continued...
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