On Thursday, March 31, 2016, The Institute of World Politics held a meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda and several members of his delegation, including Ryszard Schnepf, Ambassador of Poland to the U.S.; Paweł Soloch, Head of National Security Bureau; Krzysztof Szczerski, Secretary of State in the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland; Marek Ziółkowski, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Tomasz Szatkowski, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Defense; Witold Dzielski, Director of the Office of Foreign Affairs in the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland; Marek Magierowski, Director of the Press Office in the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland; Piotr Włodarski, Director of the Department of Strategic Analyses in the National Security Bureau; and Marcin Kędryna, Bureau of the President’s Office.
The experts who attended the meeting on behalf of IWP included Dr. John Lenczowski, Founder and President of IWP; Amb. Aldona Wos, MD, former U.S. Ambassador to Estonia; Dr. Marek Chodakiewicz, Kosciuszko Chair in Polish Studies; and Dr. Mackubin Owens, IWP Academic Dean.
During the meeting, the IWP experts and the Polish delegation discussed Poland’s relationship with the U.S., specifically as it pertains to public diplomacy. It was confirmed that some activities should be carried out also outside of Beltway, reaching out to different actors. IWP recommended educating and building relationships with Americans due to the weight of public opinion within America. Furthermore, IWP experts stressed the importance of strategic communication within the realm of public diplomacy.
Additionally, the two groups discussed several other international issues, including the future of U.S.-NATO relations, the challenges posed by Russia, and the rise of terrorism.
