U.K. Police, Protesters Await Bush

The British are planning to welcome U.S. President Bush’s visit with protests, intense security measures, and surprisingly extensive public support. While many British are taking Bush’s trip to the UK as an opportunity to express their discontent with the war in Iraq, recent polls suggest that more Britons welcome the visit than oppose it. Moreover, a majority – some 62 percent – says it believes America is “generally speaking, a force for good.” Anti-American sentiment remains pervasive, however. As many as 100,000 anti-war demonstrators are expected to flood London streets and ultimately topple a statue of Bush in Trafalgar Square. British Prime Minister Tony Blair denounced what he describes as a "propaganda monster about America" and will welcome his ally. This week, he and Bush will meet to discuss the fate of British detainees, trade concessions on US steel tariffs, and the transfer of sovereignty to an Iraqi interim government. – YaleGlobal