Is “Old Europe” turning into “New Europe”? And vice versa?
According to Anne Applebaum, the changes in leadership in Central and Eastern Europe, and in France and Germany, have led to a flipping of feelings toward America. Donald Rumsfeld’s “Old Europe” has seen conservatives Angela Merkel elected in Germany and Nicolas Sarkozy elected in France, both with stronger American pro-American orientations than their predecessors. And now with new leaders or directions in many of the Central and Eastern European countries that made up “New Europe,” the transatlantic center of Europe has shifted. Many of these countries have sent troops to Iraq, but have seen little attention paid to their hopes for the United States, including changes in the visa process for the United States.
It will be tres interesting to see what happens to public opinion in some of these countries when the annual Transatlantic Trends poll is released in September. Stay tuned.