Jon Kyl, November 22, 2002

Thanksgiving is a special time of the year. Not as frenzied as many other holidays, it tends to be a quieter moment -- when we can take stock of our blessings and assess the past year.

The first thing we can be grateful for is the support of our families and friends. Hopefully we approach the holiday in good health. Of course, as citizens of a compassionate nation, we Americans all recognize that the world looks very different on Thanksgiving for the less fortunate, the troubled, and the neglected.

Cataclysmic events have come, and we have endured. The United States remains an optimistic nation. We are rebuilding what was destroyed. Our troubled economy is on the mend. Most of its workforce remains productive and prosperous. Its people have thankfully avoided another horrific terrorist attack within America's shores.

At the same time, the greater world is an uncertain place this Thanksgiving. Sometimes it seems like it's a lonely place for America. But that isn't so.

The media likes to report that many European and Middle Eastern leaders resent America and oppose our foreign policy. And to some extent, it is true.

Yet the people appear to be much more supportive of the United States.

In fact, a first-of-its-kind poll of 9,000 Europeans released in September showed a remarkable gap between Europeans at large and their elected leaders. The poll showed strong support for action against Iraq and a concern about terrorism on the part of Europeans. As the Washington Post reported: "On a broad range of issues, the survey suggests, Americans and Europeans still share similar visions, values, and objectives. They see each other as dependable friends in a treacherous world and yearn for policies that will be mutually reinforcing."

Most world leaders aren't truly anti-America, either. They may like to make a show of their independence from the U.S., yet still race with each other to be the first to congratulate a newly-elected President. Germany's Socialist leader won a tight re-election in part by fomenting anti-Americanism. Now the country is furiously backpedaling, "embarrassed" -- as the New York Times reported last week - by a perceived souring of relations with America. German leaders now point to the smallest gestures to show that there aren't hard feelings between the two countries, such as whether a U.S. government official shakes hands with his German counterpart.

So important is America's acceptance that even China - which routinely blasts the U.S. in its official media -- was reported to be obsessed with getting an invitation for its leader to President Bush's Texas ranch. Russia's president received the first invitation - an honor the government trumpeted as a sign of improved relations.

America also remains the role model for the rest of the world. Take, for example, the country of Romania, liberated from a decades-long oppressive dictatorship after the Soviet Empire collapsed into dust.

Today Romania is poised to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It will be the largest of NATO's new members -- and one of America's greatest boosters. An overwhelming 80 percent of Romanians hold a favorable view of the United States. Its new government aspires to be one of our strongest allies, and was among the first to offer aid and support after the atrocity of September 11.

As with the other new NATO entrants - all Cold War Soviet satellites -- Romanians freshly remember a world where democracy and freedom were only dreams. They know that the United States is the only guarantor of a better future. Asked about concerns expressed by other European capitals that its pro-Americanism is too fervent, the Romanian foreign minister responded this way: "After Romania enjoys several decades of prosperity like France, then we will have the luxury of taking the U.S. for granted."

In a warped way, even Iraq has recently paid tribute to the power of American ideals. It recently held a presidential "election." Of course, this was a sham. Saddam Hussein, the only candidate on the ballot, received every vote cast - a phenomenon unheard of in a legitimate democracy. He also made a big production over summoning Iraq's rubber-stamp legislature to consider whether to "accept" a U.N. resolution - and then completely ignored the legislature's recommendations.

These gimmicks were absurd, to be sure - window dressing for a brutal, despised regime. But Iraq's performance was yet another sign that even America's greatest enemies understand its influence and importance. In its clumsy way, Iraq wanted to show the world it was just like us.

America is not alone. We are admired and great. And for the privilege of being Americans, we should be most grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving.

U.S. Senator John Kyl (Republican of Arizona) is a member of the Senate Judiciary, Finance, Energy and Natural Resources, and Intelligence Committees.