Lost in translation
This time, it was Prime Minister Leszek Miller who claimed that "we cannot remain blind to the fact that Spain and other Hispanic countries" (though there is, in fact, only one country, the Dominican Republic) are withdrawing their troops from Iraq. The context clearly suggested that this would mean a reconsideration of the country's own position in the occupying force. No wonder his words caused a furor.
Predictably, Miller claimed that his words were mistranslated. He says that no suggestion of a premature withdrawal was made. But the unpleasant aftertaste remains. How many diplomatic blunders can you blame on translators? After all, that's exactly what Kwaśniewski did in March, with Marek Siwiec, his chief of the National Security Bureau, claiming that these "lexical and translatorial issues" were not mentioned by U.S. President George W. Bush in a phone conversation with Kwaśniewski, in the days after the remark.
That may well be true. As some commentators point out, Bush could never have mentioned "lexical and translatorial issues" as he probably can't even pronounce it. That is not to say that the USA will always remain tolerant of an ally that keeps trying to court, or at least placate, its enemies.
It would be too cynical to put his words in the context of the recent bribe that Osama bin Laden offered the Europeans. The terrorist-in-chief promised that those countries that withdrew their support for the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq would not be subject to attacks. With the European Economic Forum making Warsaw the runaway winner of this week's 'Most Attractive Destination for an International Terrorist Attack' competition, it would perhaps make sense to do everything possible to discourage homicidal fanatics.
But, surely that was not Miller's intention. Much more likely, he simply doesn't care anymore. He is far too clever to hope to return to power after his disgraceful performance on the domestic front. So far, his successful foreign policy has almost redeemed his record, but now it no longer seems to matter. The famous proponent of the theory that "whatever happens after my term couldn't matter less," Miller is probably enjoying landing his successor with yet another problem.
Marek Belka was, after all, Miller's first minister of finance and, although he quoted "personal reasons" for his resignation, the two men were never known for their mutual friendship. He comes to the country after a term as administrator of the Iraqi economy, so it must be fun to find him in trouble on the one front where he seems well placed to continue this government's good work.
No matter what your views on the rights and wrongs of the U.S. invasion a year ago, there can be no doubt that, now that Iraq is on the verge of collapsing into bloody chaos, it needs foreign security forces more than ever. Any sign of a weakening resolve could prove disastrous, and the American public opinion, at least, seems to have admirably avoided the trappings of the 'Somali syndrome.' It would be a shame if this country now began undermining the coalition that is trying to preserve whatever semblance of order still remains in Iraq.
What's more, Spain's defection to the Franco-German camp, coupled with Tony Blair's apparent resolve to improve the UK's relations with the leading continental powers, mean that the country now faces a very real risk of isolation on the European stage. While that requires speedy looking into, loosening ties with the world's sole superpower seems hardly conducive to strengthening the country's negotiating position.
The prime minister's pathetic attempt to blame the scandal on translators shows that he has, after all, a lot in common with President Kwaśniewski, who is otherwise his nemesis on the left. Is there some sort of international conspiracy of interpreters against the SLD and this country? If so, then a solution may be on the horizon. The costs of translating all EU documents into the more than a dozen member states' official languages are notoriously high. It remains to be hoped that the quality of their services is high enough to guarantee that in the future they will not wreck months of careful diplomacy.
Predictably, Miller claimed that his words were mistranslated. He says that no suggestion of a premature withdrawal was made. But the unpleasant aftertaste remains. How many diplomatic blunders can you blame on translators? After all, that's exactly what Kwaśniewski did in March, with Marek Siwiec, his chief of the National Security Bureau, claiming that these "lexical and translatorial issues" were not mentioned by U.S. President George W. Bush in a phone conversation with Kwaśniewski, in the days after the remark.
That may well be true. As some commentators point out, Bush could never have mentioned "lexical and translatorial issues" as he probably can't even pronounce it. That is not to say that the USA will always remain tolerant of an ally that keeps trying to court, or at least placate, its enemies.
It would be too cynical to put his words in the context of the recent bribe that Osama bin Laden offered the Europeans. The terrorist-in-chief promised that those countries that withdrew their support for the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq would not be subject to attacks. With the European Economic Forum making Warsaw the runaway winner of this week's 'Most Attractive Destination for an International Terrorist Attack' competition, it would perhaps make sense to do everything possible to discourage homicidal fanatics.
But, surely that was not Miller's intention. Much more likely, he simply doesn't care anymore. He is far too clever to hope to return to power after his disgraceful performance on the domestic front. So far, his successful foreign policy has almost redeemed his record, but now it no longer seems to matter. The famous proponent of the theory that "whatever happens after my term couldn't matter less," Miller is probably enjoying landing his successor with yet another problem.
Marek Belka was, after all, Miller's first minister of finance and, although he quoted "personal reasons" for his resignation, the two men were never known for their mutual friendship. He comes to the country after a term as administrator of the Iraqi economy, so it must be fun to find him in trouble on the one front where he seems well placed to continue this government's good work.
No matter what your views on the rights and wrongs of the U.S. invasion a year ago, there can be no doubt that, now that Iraq is on the verge of collapsing into bloody chaos, it needs foreign security forces more than ever. Any sign of a weakening resolve could prove disastrous, and the American public opinion, at least, seems to have admirably avoided the trappings of the 'Somali syndrome.' It would be a shame if this country now began undermining the coalition that is trying to preserve whatever semblance of order still remains in Iraq.
What's more, Spain's defection to the Franco-German camp, coupled with Tony Blair's apparent resolve to improve the UK's relations with the leading continental powers, mean that the country now faces a very real risk of isolation on the European stage. While that requires speedy looking into, loosening ties with the world's sole superpower seems hardly conducive to strengthening the country's negotiating position.
The prime minister's pathetic attempt to blame the scandal on translators shows that he has, after all, a lot in common with President Kwaśniewski, who is otherwise his nemesis on the left. Is there some sort of international conspiracy of interpreters against the SLD and this country? If so, then a solution may be on the horizon. The costs of translating all EU documents into the more than a dozen member states' official languages are notoriously high. It remains to be hoped that the quality of their services is high enough to guarantee that in the future they will not wreck months of careful diplomacy.
