Aleksander Kwasniewski is the former President of the Republic of Poland (1995 - 2005). He was born on the 15th November 1954, in Bialogard, 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 Рапу of the Republic of Poland. He won the presidential elecdons 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 diat Poland finally joined NATO in 1999. He is an acdve supporter of further alliance enlargement under the "open door" policy. A strong proponent of European integration, Kwasniewski campaigned for approval of the European Union accession treaty in 2003, and saw Poland become a member on May 1, 2004.

Aleksander Kwasniewski 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 Kwasniewski inspired the international mediation efforts during the 2004 Orange Revolution, helping the young democracy in Ukraine to prevail.

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

On March 7, 2006, Kwasniewski was appointed Disunguished Scholar in the Practice of Global Leadership at Georgetown University, where, as a visiting faculty member, he teaches smdents in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service about contemporary European politics, the trans-Atlantic relationship and democraLLzauon in Central and Eastern Europe. He is also i.a. member of the Board of Trustees of the Internationa] Crisis Group, member of the Atlaimc Council of the United States, member of the Bilderberg Group, Head of die Supervisory Board of the Amicus Europae Foundation in Warsaw and Internationa] Center for Political Smdies in Kiev, I lead of the International Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation, Head of the Board of Yalta European Strategy.