You're asking whether its ok or not for a muslim to be friends with a kafir? (I can use that right? I mean, it cant exactly be racist and I'm not a muslim but still)
I think almost all non-muslims would say yes. In the western world as well I'd wager a vast majority of muslims would say yes. There will be some orthodox muslims would will say no and that the kafir should be avoided at all costs as their interpretation of tabara. There are probably those would will claim any association with kafir is strictly under taqiyya. However, I personally (though I'm not a muslim) think such views are absurd.
Views such as these are the reason behind religious (well, secular and muslim) tensions in the west. If you are a muslim which believes you shouldn't be friends with kafir can't you just content yourself in the knowledge that they will suffer for an eternity in the afterlife and indulge them in their brief lives?
(forgive me if i misuse any terms - I'm not a muslim, i don't speak arabic and my knowledge of Islam is very rudimentary at best.)
EDIT: Iirc, tabara says you shouldn't associate with enemies of islam. Whether or not you consider all kafir enemies of islam is up to you. Some muslims obviously do but i think there is a distinction between enemy and neutral and hence it should be permissible.