On my recent trip to Poland I had the opportunity to spend several days in Warsaw. As I bounced from meeting to meeting, one major thought kept sticking in my mind. The city, once a symbol of the gray and dreary Communist Bloc, was finally coming into its own as a true European capital. 

This seemed to permeate through the superficial as well as the substantive. In addition to cosmetic improvements such as modern office towers and residential buildings, high-end retail centers and global mass-market shops, chic restaurants and improved transportation infrastructure, it was the city’s residents that seemed to have undergone the greatest transformation. 

Among Warsaw’s young professionals, the attitude was one of aplomb. Most were quick to point out confidence in their training and education (many due to stints abroad), confidence in Poland’s global outlook, and most importantly confidence that they had a stake in Poland’s future economic growth and development.

Like most European cities, the past plays heavily on Warsaw's psyche. For modern Warsaw, the better part of the last 21 years has been devoted to freeing itself from the ghosts of its communist past as well as the tragedies (and injustices) of World War II. The incredible Warsaw Uprising Museum offers a sobering and thought-provoking testament, one all residents and visitors should experience.  

But like Brussels, Berlin and Moscow before her, international recognition of Warsaw as a major geopolitical hinge point ultimately allows Poland to take on its natural role as both a regional leader (among the newest EU member states and for the EU's eastern periphery) and diplomatic surrogate between Europe and the United States. 

As the host of several major international business, finance, energy, security and diplomatic conferences Warsaw, (also Kraków via the Community of Democracies and Poznań via the UN Climate Conference) and therefore Poland, is well-positioned to build its brand as a global case study for successful transition economics (development) and as an advocate for global democracy, human rights and the protection of civil society.

Now, if we could just build a high-speed, multi-lane highway connection to my hometown of Kraków, we would be all set. I guess in classic Polish fashion, I had to complain about something. 

Alas, maybe some things never change.