Standard Excellence
by Gary Shapiro
published September 19, 2005

AMBASSADORIAL AUTHOR -- A correspondent for the Knickerbocker was on hand when the president of the American Council on Germany, William Drozdiak, and his wife, Renilde Loeckx, the consul general of Belgium in New York, hosted a party at the consular residence. The evening celebrated Ambassador Rockwell A. Schnabel's book "The Next Superpower? The Rise of Europe and Its Challenge to the United States" (Rowman & Littlefield), which the former American ambassador to the European Union co-wrote with Rome-based journalist Francis X. Rocca.

In his remarks, Mr. Schnabel said that "the U.S. ignores Europe at our peril." Mr. Schnabel added that he was surprised at the level of ignorance about the E.U. among some Americans: "I've actually had people ask me how 'E.U.' is spelled."

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