A more stable relationship between Poland and Russia based on reconciliation might revive the reunification of Europe.

The post-Cold War order in Europe is finished, with Vladimir Putin its executioner. Russia's invasion of Georgia only marked its passing. Russia has emerged as a born-again 19th-century power determined to challenge the intellectual, moral and institutional foundations of the order.

Regimes like the one in Russia are stabilized by the fact that they have no ideology. There is really no ideological means to attack them.

For the Kremlin, it is more feasible to preserve its great-power status in cooperation with the United States than in confrontation.

Democracy has always been in crisis: democracy is all about practicing the art of bearable dissatisfaction. In democratic societies, people often complain about their leaders and their institutions. The gap between the ideal democracy and the existing one cannot be bridged.

Authoritarianism is not pretending anymore to be a real alternative to democracy, but we can see many more authoritarian practices and styles basically being smuggled into democratic governments.