Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Departing Dutch Ambassador Reflects on US Physical, Political Landscapes

Natalie Liu

   WASHINGTON - Dutch Ambassador to Washington Hendrik Jan Jurriaan
   Schuwer has had ample opportunities to indulge his U.S.-acquired
   fondness for American country and western music, thanks at least in
   part to the election of President Donald Trump.

   It's "no secret" that Trump's election surprised most European
   governments, Schuwer explains in an interview reflecting on his
   four-year tenure in the U.S. capital, which ended this month. And in an
   effort to better understand the social dynamic behind that election, he
   has traveled more widely in the Southern and Western U.S. states where
   both Trump and country music are most popular.

   Schuwer says he would listen to the car radio during those travels,
   ranging from the Smoky Mountains of the U.S. Southeast to the
   mountainous northwestern state of Idaho, as well as to Nashville,
   Tennessee, the country music recording capital.

   "For some reason I was really taken by country and western music," he
   says, beginning with his first assignment in the United States at the
   Dutch consulate in Los Angeles 20 years ago. "Country and western music
   tells a story; it's a ballad, and I like story-telling."

.