THE ECONOMIST
BERLIN BRIEFING (February 2005)
Sweetened Rice
German newspapers in early February were filled with the visit of Condoleezza Rice, America's secretary of state. As part of a quick trip to Belgium, France and Germany, among other countries, Ms Rice visited Berlin, spending the night in a bullet-proof suite at the Intercontinental hotel. During the trip, Ms Rice worked hard to show that her attitude towards Europe had changed since the beginning of the war in Iraq, when she famously quipped “Punish France, ignore Germany, forgive Russia”.
Gerhard Schröder, Germany's chancellor, joked and laughed with Ms Rice during a surprisingly entertaining half-hour press conference on February 4th. Mr Schröder rarely speaks in English for any length of time, but he seemed happy to make an exception for his illustrious guest.
