More than Platonic Love
Poland’s Image of the United States of America
Stefan Bednarek, Michał Matlak
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
The image of America that Poles maintain has something like love: We idealise our partner, lionise her merits, and turn a blind eye to her negative traits. This attitude feeds on the memory that at important moments in the 20th century the United States stood by Poland. But even before that, news from abroad influenced Polish national identity, aroused admiration, and stirred fascination. Only most recently are there indications that a pragmatic cost-benefit analysis could take the place of the Poles’ romantic inclination toward the United States.
(Osteuropa 1/2011, pp. 139–150)