Obama, Poland and Russia

By MARK BRZEZINSKI

At a time when the Obama administration has reset relations with Moscow, Poland has engaged in its own fence-mending. The mistrust and hostility that has so colored the Russian-Polish relationship spans centuries. But a reconciliation is not without precedent.

Poland understands the drawbacks of being a border country, and Russia understands it would be better off if its neighbors feared Moscow less. While the difficult process of Polish-Russian rapprochement is not explicitly related to the U.S.-Russia reset, it would have a positive impact on Central Europe as well as the broader trans-Atlantic relationship. Reconciliation is a game-changing possibility that has a long way to go, which is why President Obama’s trip is so important.

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