Series:IZ Policy Papers

Trump Presidency and Transatlantic Relations

Trump Presidency and Transatlantic Relations

Author(s): Marta Götz / Language(s): English

Keywords: Trump; USA; president; transatlantic realtions

The key question that arose following the election victory of Donald Trump concerned the future of US-European relations. Would the opinion that NATO was “obsolete” and art. 5 of the Washington Treaty on collective defense did not necessarily have to apply unconditionally, remain pure electoral rhetoric or would it set a new course for the Trump administration’s relations with Europe? Would the treatment of the European Union not as a big achievement of the Old World but as a hostile competitor of the United States define Trump’s approach to the European integration process? Will Washington’s prior commitments to Europe continue to be respected? // Another unknown was the approach to the new Washington administration that the European allies of the United States would adopt. Could they convince President Trump about the significance of the Transatlantic Alliance and its main pillar: NATO? Would the new administration and Brussels be able to establish good mutually-beneficial relations? // The above questions stand at the core of the analysis presented in this material. The authors attempted to describe Trump’s first six months in office and outline the key steps taken by the new administration towards Europe. Emphasis was placed on security and defense, associated primarily with NATO, as well as Russia and political and economic relations with the European Union. An additional topic was the fight against terrorism, which inevitably accompanies transatlantic relations.

German activity in the international arena in 2017

Aktywność Niemiec na arenie międzynarodowej w 2017 r

Author(s): Jadwiga Kiwerska / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: Germany; international relations

In 2017, various unfavourable trends in Europe's environment intensified: the migration/refugee crisis, which although it had weakened, remained a problem, challenges for the transatlantic community related to the Donald Trump administration, Russia and the impossibility of finding some modus vivendi in relations with it, especially in the area of ​​security, the Middle East as a source of terrorism threatening the European Union, also from within. The challenge that the European Union itself faced was the question of the scale and method of its further integration; the problem was the model of the eurozone reform and maintaining the cohesion of the European project. Germany's activity in the international arena was determined by the Bundestag elections in September 2017. When proposing specific solutions that largely took into account German interests, it tried to maintain distance from controversial proposals.

On the German perception of Polish history. Three interviews

O postrzeganiu przez Niemców polskiej historii. Trzy wywiady

Author(s): Stanisław Żerko / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: Germany; interviews; remembrance of history;

The noun "reconciliation", declined in all possible cases and meant to characterize good-neighborly relations between our countries, became a figure of speech with which representatives of both countries used to decorate their speeches. At the same time, we were increasingly surprised that the scale and scope of the crimes committed in Poland by the Germans during the occupation were so little known in the Federal Republic. We were concerned that in Germany the dark side of our history during World War II was so eagerly emphasized, while at the same time the accents were shifting: for a dozen or so years, in German narratives, Germans have increasingly become victims, and Poles - persuasions. Some of us, not all, see this as a deliberate German historical policy. Others believe that these are cultural changes, the sources of which are not political in nature. We are trying to find some answer as to why this is happening, and we do not want to formulate simple and hasty explanations. We asked three younger generation historians from the German-speaking area who deal with Polish issues about these issues – two Germans and one Swiss.

Reparations and compensation in relations between Poland and Germany

Reparacje i odszkodowania w stosunkach między Polską a RFN

Author(s): Stanisław Żerko / Language(s): Polish

In the summer of 2017, the debate on the issue of German war reparations returned with great force in Poland. The discussion on this topic took place in the autumn of 2004, but the temperature of the dispute that flared up after Jarosław Kaczyński's speech on 1 July 2017 is incomparably higher than during the debate thirteen years earlier. The aim of this study is to present in a brief but relatively complete way the issue of reparations and war compensation as a problem in the history of relations between Poland and the Federal Republic of Germany. The final turning point is the complex of problems related to the reunification of Germany.

Trump Presidency and Transatlantic Relations

Prezydentura Trumpa i układ transatlantycki

Author(s): / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: Donald Trump; POTUS; transatlantic relations

The six-month presidency of Donald Trump, whose election victory caused considerable concern in Europe due to his critical rhetoric towards transatlantic cooperation, questioning the sense of NATO's existence and his hostile attitude towards the European Union, and above all his announcement of improving relations with Russia, has not dispelled these uncertainties. The future of the transatlantic system is still in a certain turmoil, which is largely due to the unpredictability of the president himself, his style of behaviour and the way he makes decisions. The controversial changes in high positions in the Trump administration, the opinions of some high officials contradicting his statements, also result in a sense of chaos, making it difficult to define the shape and strategy of American foreign policy. Based on previous experience, one can conclude that complications will occur from time to time on the Europe-USA line in many more or less serious matters, and the paradigm of close transatlantic relations that has been in force for decades will change. For European countries, given the scale and nature of threats in the world, this is a considerable challenge, but at the same time an impulse to make decisions that deepen integration in many areas.

Obama and Merkel – Building a Partnership German-American Relations (2009-2016). A Polish View

Obama and Merkel – Building a Partnership German-American Relations (2009-2016). A Polish View

Author(s): Jadwiga Kiwerska / Language(s): English

Keywords: Obama; Merkel; German-American Relations

During Barack Obama's presidency, American-German relations could be called a "partnership in leadership." Although there was no shortage of disputes and irritations between Washington and Berlin, caused by the so-called wiretapping scandal or a certain assertiveness of Germany towards the expectations of the American side, it was Chancellor Merkel that President Obama called his best partner, a great leader and a person of great morality towards the end of his term in the White House. Similarly, the American president enjoyed great recognition and respect from the Germans.

Balance of 25 years of the Treaty between the Republic of Poland and the Federal Republic of Germany on good neighbourhood and friendly cooperation of 17 June 1991

Bilans 25 lat Traktatu między Rzecząpospolitą Polską a Republiką Federalną Niemiec o dobrym sąsiedztwie i przyjaznej współpracy z dnia 17 czerwca 1991 r.

Author(s): Marta Balcerek-Kosiarz,Tomasz Budnikowski,Radosław Grodzki,Piotr Kubiak,Tomasz Morozowski,Witold Nowak,Andrzej Sakson,Marcin Tujdowski,Maria Wagińska-Marzec / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: Polish-German relations

The 25th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty between the Republic of Poland and the Federal Republic of Germany on good neighbourliness and friendly cooperation encourages us to sum up its implementation in various fields: politics, economy, social issues and culture. The authors of the study also attempted to reflect on the prospects of Polish-German relations. These relations are characterized by objective asymmetry resulting from different population, territorial and economic potential as well as the place and significance of both countries in the international arena. The conclusion of the Treaty in 1991 meant a historic turn towards good neighbourly and partnership relations. However, this does not mean that despite the convergence of strategic interests, there are no contradictions of various kinds, e.g. concerning energy and climate policy, history or the legal position of national minorities.

Outward FDI Policies in Visegrad Countries

Outward FDI Policies in Visegrad Countries

Author(s): Andrea Éltető,Soňa Ferenčíková,Marta Götz,Tatiana Hlušková,Barbara Jankowska,Erich Kříž,Magdolna Sass / Language(s): English

Keywords: Visegrad Countries; V4

Visegrad Four (V4) due to the specific dependence on foreign capital have been labelled as “dependent market economies” with a comparative advantage in the assembly of goods such as cars or consumer electronics [Noelke, Vliegenthart 2009]. This project focuses on the opposite side of international capital movements as it explores the phenomenon of outward investment made by V4 indigenous firms.

Trends in the use of working time in highly developed countries at the beginning of the 21st century

Tendencje w wykorzystaniu czasu pracy w państwach wysoko rozwiniętych na początku XXI wieku

Author(s): Tomasz Budnikowski / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: working time; developed countries

The discussion on the importance of working time began with the turbulent development of capitalism in the mid-19th century. The importance of the problem is evidenced by the fact that the discussion was addressed by anti-system economists and socialists on the one hand, and by the popes of the time on the other. The accelerated technological progress that we have been experiencing for several decades has sparked a lively discussion on the role of the labor factor in the process of economic growth. The growing importance of labor-saving technologies, combined with the simultaneous popularization of information technology, as well as the increase in the price of labor, are resulting in a certain decrease in the demand for labor. Structural changes in the economy involving the movement of labor between sectors also seem to be important. This process, observed for many decades, has recently accelerated significantly.

Memory policies and discourses of memory in the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War

Polityki pamięci i dyskursy pamięci w 100-lecie wybuchu I wojny światowej

Author(s): Joanna Dobrowolska-Polak / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: memory; memory policies; discourse of memory; First World War

The year of the outbreak of World War I is considered a turning point marking the “long end” of the 19th century, marking the end of the way in which eighteenth-century Europe functioned and the style of conducting foreign policy at that time. The Great War of 1914-1918 began a century of conflicts and global divisions. For the first time, warfare polarized the world. The 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War I has become a starting point for reflections on European historical memory and its national versions. The authors consider the perception of history in European states, its relativization, and the reinterpretation of the old aspirations of nation states. Are we dealing in Europe with the coexistence of complementary visions of the past, or rather with the competition of national memory policies? Can national differences have a significant impact on the process of shaping European identity and the course of current and future integration processes on the continent?

Reparations and compensation in relations between Poland and Germany

Reparations and compensation in relations between Poland and Germany

Author(s): Stanisław Żerko / Language(s): English

Keywords: German-Polish relations; Reparations WW II;

The aim of this study is to provide a brief but fairly comprehensive account of the reparations issue and war damages viewed as a problem in the history of relations between Poland and the Federal Republic of Germany5. The present overview ends with issues related to the unification of Germany.

On the Perception of Polish History by Germans. Three Interviews

Über die Wahrnehmung der polnischen Geschichte durch die Deutschen. Drei Interviews

Author(s): Jochen Böhler,Daniel Brewing,Stephan Guth / Language(s): German

Keywords: Polish history; German-Polish relations;

The history of mutual bilateral relations has almost always been one of the most controversial issues in German-Polish relations. The same can be said about the interpretation of the historical processes taking place in the neighboring country, about the perception of Polish history on the one hand and about the Polish reading of German history on the other. The abandonment of previous stereotypical ways of presenting things and the departure from outdated patterns only took place in the course of a lengthy process, which was, however, increasingly stimulated over time by increasingly lively contacts and concrete debates on the subject.