WARSAW -- Much of the world seems fascinated by the fact that Poland is now governed by identical twins who first became famous as child movie actors: President Lech Kaczynski, and Jaroslaw Kaczynski, whom Lech appointed to the post of prime minister earlier this month. They are indeed intriguing, but the political forces they represent are worrying.
Since the fall of 2005, the Kaczynskis have led a conservative-populist coalition, with a dose of nationalism -- represented by the small League of Polish Families (LPR) -- thrown in.
The Polish right was last in power in 1997 after the postcommunist Party of the Democratic Left (SLD) was voted out. In 1998, though, a five-year streak of economic prosperity vanished. Unable to cope with the downturn, the right was replaced by another SLD-led government in 2001.