May 8, 2003
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Germans dismayed that Poles could command their troops (Times of London, 5/8/2003)GERMANY has responded angrily to a proposal that its troops be deployed in northern Iraq under the command of Poland, one of the newest members of Nato....
Neither Germany nor France had expected to take a leading military role in postwar Iraq, but the idea that Poland could take charge has stirred a hornets’ nest. President Kwasniewski of Poland will try to resolve the matter when he meets German and French leaders tomorrow, but there is no mistaking the dismay in "old Europe" as Poland flexes its muscles....
The German press has been particularly dismissive....
France and Germany do not find it easy to accept the Nato and EU newcomers as equals....
Poland was surprised by the German response. Where Germans see conspiracy, Poland sees a chance to bring them into the loop. "I’m afraid there is some misunderstanding," Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz, the Foreign Minister, said. "We would like as many European partners as possible."
Deep down, most German politicians are unwilling to accept the concept. From the days of Bismarck until 1945, the Poles were seen as a subject people by Prussians and by Germans. The notion that a Polish captain can give orders to a German soldier will take some getting used to.
It's great to see Poland and the U.S. working together to tame Old European arrogance. You have to hand it to George Bush, he speaks softly but slides daggers cleanly between the ribs. And the Poles are learning his technique.
It's hard not to pity the Germans. In their minds European Union probably meant the triumph of the Fourth Reich. It turns out to mean Germans waiting tables at the Kosciusko Club.