Re: No more visas for Britain, By Lukaš Fila, December 15-21, Vol 9, No 48
The US now needs to follow the example set by Great Britain and add Slovakia to the tourist visa waiver list. If this test case works, Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic should be added in one year.
Slovakia would make a good test case for eastern Europe because it's population is so small relative to Poland or Hungary. If Slovaks demonstrate that they are not as big of an immigration risk as people think, then the US could expand the program to other deserving citizens in eastern Europe.
Otherwise, it could revoke the visa waiver. Switzerland, I believe, played this game for a while before finally realizing that Slovaks weren't that big of an immigration risk and kept the waiver in place.
Ultimately, however, it's a question of fairness. If eastern Europeans are willing to lay down their lives for the America-led war in Iraq, then these people should be rewarded and not treated like second class European citizens. I agree 100 percent that America should strive to treat all EU nations equally (equal protection under law).
John,
Washington, DC
