Lass' sie nach Berlin kommen
I’ve just returned from the Atlantic Treaty Association’s General Assembly in Berlin. It was my first visit to Berlin and I wish I’d had more time to have a look around; from what I saw, it’s a lovely city. I’d very much like to be able to stroll down Unter den Linder during spring; indeed, ‘unter den Linden’ means ‘under the lime trees’.
The last time a number of the participants were in Berlin, the city, the country and the continent were divided. A very good argument for the process of Euro-Atlantic integration to continue is, if I may borrow JFK’s line, lass’ sie nach Berlin kommen – let them come to Berlin. Once it was to show what we stood against; it does as good a job in showing what we stand for.
On another note, I saw something that convinced me that the biggest problem President Obama will face is the huge expectations of him. In the window of the Kennedy Museum, facing the Brandenburg Gate and perhaps fifty metres from where JFK said ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’, is a large photo portrait of Barack Obama.
xD.
