With the enlargement of the E.U. to the former Communist countries of Eastern Europe, there is now an opportunity for two other former enemies, Poland and Germany, to complete the stability of a reunited Europe. “If Poland and Germany established a much deeper relationship, it could break the E.U.’s logjam with Russia,” said Jacek Kucharczyk, director of the Institute of Public Affairs in Warsaw. “That could have far-reaching positive consequences for democratization among the E.U.’s eastern neighbors.”
A new relationship between Germany and Poland is crucial because these two countries have historically been so affected by Russia, usually through war. Over the centuries, Germany and Russia vied with each other to dominate Poland. But Germany and Russia also fought so bitterly during World War II to conquer each other. Even though Poland is now a member of NATO and the E.U., Germany is reunited and the Soviet Union no longer exists, this turbulent and complex triangular relationship continues to fester.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/26/world/europe/26iht-letter.html
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