In Germany, for example, historians have worked successfully on joint textbooks with Polish and French colleagues.But in Slovakia, where relations with the former imperial power, Hungary, have deteriorated sharply since 2006, the mood has swung the other way.
The act replaced the outdated Jackson-Vanik amendment, introduced in 1974, which tied trade relations with the former Soviet Union to the emigration of Jews and other Soviet minorities, and which included a number of restrictions for Russian exporters.
Of course, the French have themselves been criticized for their muted response to the democratic uprisings in the Arab world, particularly in Tunisia, where France's cozy relations with the former government made it slow to support the demonstrations.
It is seeking to recalibrate relations with the former in the wake of the election of an Islamist leader, while relying on the latter as its main diplomatic bulwark against further deterioration of the situation in Syria.
Disputes with Kiev over Moscow's continued lease of the Black Sea navy base have been a thorn in relations with its former Soviet neighbour.
A top Russian deputy in the Duma says Canada is in a new "war without words" with Russia in a return of Cold-War era relations with the former Soviet Empire.
A visit to Vietnam by US President Bill Clinton in November 2000 was presented as the culmination of American efforts to normalise relations with the former enemy.
Due to "ancestral" fear of neurosurgeons to perform PCF drainage or ICP monitoring, in relations with former descriptions of major complications, ICPi monitoring remains a controversial and confidential practice.
The guards, too, were flown out before dawn.For Israel, it was a second major setback within days, following a marked deterioration earlier last week in relations with Israel's other former regional ally, Turkey.
