This isn't about reparations or whining - it's about equity.
You're not supposed to be able to profit from crime.
But then where would one put a start-point to when reparations/ power bargains can be considered? Like someone earlier pointed out, will the Italians begin to lose its weightage of votes because of what the Romans did eons ago?
If they quibble over this, the only benefit might be the end of the European Union. The Nazis as a government, is long dead.
While we're at it, lots of people say that the U.S. committed a huge crime by "stealing" this country from the then current owners. Any profit from that action? I'll bet there are some staggering numbers associated with the death toll among the natives as a result of our action there.
The bottom line is that a lot of things have happened throughout history. If it makes you feel better to blame someone, great. It's probably not going to do much to set thing right though.
This isn't about reparations or whining - it's about equity.
You're not supposed to be able to profit from crime.
I wholeheartedly agree! Unfortunately the Cold War mitigated the punishment dished out to Germany and Japan (though Germany was divided and Japan disarmed). And I'm not saying that we could afford to ignore the Russians and let the Axis Powers have it full tilt, but I imagine that Germany and Japan would be far more rehabilitated (and Japan is still a notorious revisionist nation) had we not had to switch to opposing the Russians so suddenly.
Of course, Germany and Japan were certainly punished more than Russia ever will be, and that's not just either.
To insist on a kind of "justice" the Polish leadership is not able to enforce, leaves a very weak impression. It only reveals the actual insignificance of the Kaczynski brothers, since they are obviously unable to verify the effective importance of their country if they are forced to construct such moronic argumentations. WWII is over since 60 years and most of the participants (no matter if we speak about victims or offenders) are dust. It is boring to beat a dead horse*.
Although this time they are obviously still not among the decisive nations in Europe, the Poles could make a good deal since other, bigger and more powerful countries want to keep them in the boat. We (the other Europeans) all know that there will be a time without this funny Polish president and his twin brother. Therefore the whining of the twins might be a nuisance but is de facto irrelevant. Obviously a strange form of folklore.
* I do not deny the nameless crimes of German forces in Poland but I doubt their actual political relevance.
If they do, then Poland should declare war on Germany and take out just a little over half of their current population.
Sounds fair, eh?