| Topic: |
Politics > Politics-USA |
| User: |
"L Peterson" |
| Date: |
07 Oct 2005 01:44:06 AM |
| Object: |
No U.S. Visa for You! But How About a Nice Trip to Iraq? |
Why America loves Poland's soldiers but not her tourists.
By Scott MacMillan
Posted Thursday, Oct. 6, 2005, at 3:46 AM PT
You have to hand it to the Poles: There is something positively endearing about
their loyalty to America. The war in Iraq is unpopular there, but Poland has
nonetheless given a sweeping majority to a center-right government that will
reconsider the departing coalition's decision to pull Polish troops out of Iraq.
But don't let anybody tell you the Polish election was a ringing endorsement of
President Bush's Iraq policy, because there's a catch: If it acts on one of its
campaign pledges, the new government is likely to ask for a "new contract" with
America in exchange for its help. Poland, it appears, is disappointed with the
lack of any perceivable payoff for its Iraq deployment. Rewards might have
included contracts for Polish companies in Iraqi reconstruction projects and
increased U.S. investment in Poland, but for the average Pole, it seems there is
one American concession that matters more than any other: visa-free travel to
the United States.
Unlike most citizens of the European Union, Poles can't just hop on a plane and
fly to New York for a few days. Tourists need to apply for a visa, which
generally entails sitting down for an interview with a U.S. consular officer.
This officer will reject the application if she or he suspects the applicant
might secretly harbor a desire to "overstay" and take an American job. (The
decision often appears quite arbitrary.) The same rules apply for nearly all of
post-communist Europe (minus Slovenia), but Poland is notable mainly due to the
size of its population (38 million) and its diaspora: Nine million people
identify themselves as Polish-Americans, and according to the last census, over
667,000 U.S. residents speak Polish at home as their first language.
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