On the Brink of a Ice Age?
Poland, Russia, and the Polish Law and Justice Party
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Relations between Russia and Poland are strained by a number of historical reasons that go back for centuries. Concern has been expressed that the dual victory of russo-skeptical, national-conservative forces in the Polish general and presidential elections could lead to increased tensions between Warsaw and Moscow. There is little evidence for this. Growing trade between the two states, Poland’s integration into the European Union, and foreign policy pragmatism constitute hard political realities that even the Kaczyński camp is forced to recognize. Nevertheless, unsolved historical issues, such as the murder of thousands of Polish officers in Katyń in 1940 and Moscow’s ambiguous attitude toward the dictatorship in Belarus, offer considerable potential for conflict.
(Osteuropa 11/2005, pp. 31–42)