Aleksander Kwasniewski

  • President of Poland, 1995-2005
  • Co-Founder and First Chairman, Social Democratic Party
  • Distinguished Scholar in the Practice of Global Leadership, Georgetown University, 2006

One of the most influential political figures to come out of Eastern Europe since the fall of communism, President Aleksander Kwasniewski is a powerful voice in the debate over the economic and political future of the former Eastern Bloc nations, including Russia and Poland; the political and economic success of these emerging democracies; and such relevant issues as energy reserves and oil.

 


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Past Hosts Include:
  • Sachs International
  • Commonfund
Rave Reviews About Aleksander Kwasniewski as a Speaker
President Kwasniewski – as you had promised --- blended remarkable insights and a great sense of humor. He was a perfect close to our meeting.

Keynote - Freedom's Challenge | Atlantic Council [ 9:58] - Get Sharable Link
Talks & Conversations with Aleksander Kwasniewski
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The Role of Business in Eastern Europe

During his two terms in office, President Kwasniewski enacted numerous reforms and policies that served to open Poland to the promises of the market economy. In this address, President Kwasniewski discusses the importance of businesses to the health of the democratic institutions of the former Easte ...

During his two terms in office, President Kwasniewski enacted numerous reforms and policies that served to open Poland to the promises of the market economy. In this address, President Kwasniewski discusses the importance of businesses to the health of the democratic institutions of the former Eastern Bloc nations.

International Partnerships in the War on Terror

Since 2001, Poland has been among the United States’ staunchest allies in the War on Terror. A strong believer in the role of international cooperation and international institutions, President Kwasniewski speaks on the importance of these partnerships in ensuring worldwide peace and stability. ...

Since 2001, Poland has been among the United States’ staunchest allies in the War on Terror. A strong believer in the role of international cooperation and international institutions, President Kwasniewski speaks on the importance of these partnerships in ensuring worldwide peace and stability.

European Integration

Poland and Judaism Today

Africa and the European Union in the world of competition and cooperation

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Biography

Aleksander Kwaśniewski is the former President of the Republic of Poland (1995 – 2005). He was born on the 15th November 1954, in Białogard, Poland.

He participated in the famous “Round-Table” negotiations in Poland that finally brought the peaceful transformation of Poland and the whole Central and Eastern Europe from communism to democracy. A co-founding member and first chairman of the Social Democratic Party of the Republic of Poland. He won the presidential elections for the first time in 1995, starting against Lech Walesa. Co-author of the new democratic Constitution of Poland, which he signed into law on July 16th, 1997.

A great advocate of Poland’s membership in both NATO and the European Union. It was under his leadership that Poland finally joined NATO in 1999. He is an active supporter of further alliance enlargement under the "open door" policy. A strong proponent of European integration, Kwaśniewski campaigned for approval of the European Union accession treaty in 2003, and saw Poland become a member on May 1, 2004.

Aleksander Kwaśniewski was one of the leading figures in European Politics. Author of numerous local and regional initiatives, decisively joined the global war on terror and backed the decision to send Polish troops to the war against Saddam Hussein. Long – standing supporter of Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty, Aleksander Kwaśniewski inspired the international mediation efforts during the 2004 Orange Revolution, helping the young democracy in Ukraine to prevail.

During his Presidency, he courageously confronted the past, significantly contributing to the reconciliation between Poles and the German, Jewish and Ukrainian people.

On March 7, 2006, Kwaśniewski was appointed Distinguished Scholar in the Practice of Global Leadership at Georgetown University, where, as a visiting faculty member, he taught students in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service about contemporary European politics, the trans-Atlantic relationship and democratization in Central and Eastern Europe. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the International Crisis Group, member of the Atlantic Council of the United States, member of the Bilderberg Group, Head of the Supervisory Board of the Amicus Europae Foundation in Warsaw and International Center for Political Studies in Kiev, Head of the International Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation, Head of the Board of Yalta European Strategy. Until November 2013, President Kwaśniewski co-lead the European Parliament monitoring mission in Ukraine to monitor the criminal cases against Yulia Tymoshenko, Yuriy Lutsenko and Valeriy Ivaschenko.