KONFERENCJA: Stany Zjednoczone a Europa Środkowa
CONFERENCE: The United States and Central Europe

Summary/Abstract: Professor Zbigniew Brzeziński discusses the strategic prospects of Eastern European states 20 years after they regained their independence. He points to the main challenges facing them in connection with the debate, under way in Russia, about that country's future and its directions of development. The author recommends that countries of the Central Europe deepen their integration within Europe, which only as one whole can be an important and needed partner for the United States in global politics. Professor Brzeziński also explains the complicated circumstances which are presently shaping Russia's foreign policy. This policy will be increasingly strongly affected by the difficult situation in Central Asia and deepening political polarization within the United States. Central European states should take advantage of this situation in formulating this own policy with regard to their American ally. Radosław Sikorski, the Polish foreign minister, points to three areas in which he sees possibilities for building a Polish-American community of interests and cooperation: The Eastern Partnership (EP) – a European Union initiative to which the United States could bring its own contribution; the Community of Democracies (CD) – an initiative making it possible to link Polish transformational experience with American potential and experience in building and promoting democracy; and, lastly, European security and steps aimed at strengthening it and, among other things, NATO's credibility. Phil Gordon, Undersecretary of State responsible for European affairs at the Department of State, takes issue with the thesis that countries of Central Europe have been loosing in importance in America's foreign policy. He argues that their importance has really been rising and that there is a rapprochement in the matter of projects that should form the substance of the USA's relations with countries of the region. He stresses that the United States has not turned its back on the Eastern Europe, that the US it has no such intention, and that cooperation in areas such as supporting democracy, strengthening NATO and the common struggle against threats like the deficit of energy security, enjoy good prospects.

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