Michel: Belgian foreign policy will change course

(Hat tip: Ralph B.) According to the weekend edition of the Belgian Dutch-language daily De Standaard, Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel, on his latest visit to Washington, promised a reversal of the country's anti-American foreign policy, aligning it more with the views of Mia Doornaert [the newspaper's diplomatic editor, a longtime fierce critic of kneejerk anti-Americanism and Israel-bashing, as well as what she terms Belgian "delusions of grandeur": I have quoted her here repeatedly in the past]. Here follows my English translation of the whole article:

"Doornaert-minded"
De Standaard
May 29, 2004

Diplomacy is still a matter of people. Thus far, at least, it is not
the nameless daredevils of posh consultancy bureaus that supply
expensive ideas, but [political] individuals. They talk and read a lot,
think hard, and come up with something original. There is no grand idea
in international politics or it is attached to a [personal] name: the
Monroe doctrine, the Marshall plan,...

[Belgian] Foreign Minister [Louis] Michel gets his political philosophy
from the newspaper. It is available every day for a single measly euro,
a pittance compared to what Ernst and Young would charge. For early this
week, the minister declared that Belgian foreign policy would be more
"Doornaert-minded" in the future. The fact that he made this pronouncement
in Washington underscores the importance of this change of course.

Faithful readers of this newspaper will understand Louis Michel. He pays
homage to Mia Doornaert, editor for diplomacy of De Standaard. What the
description means is equally clear: a less obstinate "Yankee go home",
and that Europe would better realized it is better at quacking than at
doing, and that, oh golly, Belgium ought not to put itself forward as
the moral yardstick of the world unless it wants to make a fool of itself.

Our colleague Doornaert has been hammering this into Michel for years, adding
that only his resignation would be an honorable way to rehabilitate Belgium
diplomatically. His colleague for Defense Andre Flahaut may call himself lucky
if he only calls him a "kakelzwans" [untranslatable Belgian-Dutch slang
roughly meaning "schmuck that cackles like a chicken"].

After nearly five years of trench warfare Louis Michel capitulates. Not
yet unconditionally, because he is not yet referring to the new "Mia doctrine",
only to being more "Doornaert minded". But we are on the right track:
canonizations also start with beatifications.

Although the "-minded" suffix remains intriguing. It literally means that
Louis Michel has our colleague Doornaert "on his mind" [English in original].
Thus, he not only will have to justify our country's diplomatic change of
course in parliament, but will also have to explain at home why he is walking
around with other women on his mind.