„Ten Years of Poland in NATO: in Search of the Ultimate Security Guarantee”
Summary
Malgorzata Bos-Karczewska looks at the first ten years of NATO membership of Poland. Poland joined the Alliance in March 1999 to overcome its perpetual geopolitical trap (sandwiched between Germany and Russia).
Atlanticism and a strong attachment to the United States is the most distinctive feature of Polish foreign policy after 1989. The second key characteristic is promotion of Eastern enlargements.
In order to secure its future Poland aspires to be a important player shaping Western institutions and their policies. This policy evolved due to external events and experience gained from membership of both NATO and EU.
With the accession to the EU in 2004 Poland’s status fundamentally changed: one could speak of the demise of geopolitics and Poland becoming a medium-sized power with regional interests. Warsaw reappraised the value of the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) and started shaping the EU’s Eastern policy.
But with the Russian invasion in Georgia in 2008 geopolitics returned to Polish security thinking. The deal on the missile shield on Polish soil was quickly struck. Warsaw goes for a collective defence alliance, but also for NATO as a provider of regional security in the East.
The author concludes that Europeanization of Polish foreign and security policy will continue; the EU could be more helpful while NATO will remain relevant if it can help keep Moscow at a distance. Paradoxically, after ten years Poland is once again looking to the United States as the ultimate guarantor of its security.
author: Malgorzata Bos-Karczewska is editor-in-chief of Polonia.NL website
published: March 2009, in a special edition „60 years of NATO” of Internationale Spectator, a monthly publication of the Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael in the Hauge, the Netherlands – read summary
- „Tien jaar Polen in de NAVO: op zoek naar ultieme waarborg”
door: Malgorzata Bos-Karczewska, hoofdredacteur Polonia.NL
in: Internationale Spectator, maart 2009
lees het artikel: in PDF
- „10 lat Polski w NATO: w poszukiwaniu ostatecznej gwarancji bezpieczeństwa”
autor: Małgorzata Bos-Karczewska, redaktor naczelna portalu Polonia.NL
opublikowane: w specjalnym wydaniu „60. rocznica NATO” miesięcznika Interantionale Spectator, publikacji Holenderskiego Instytutu Spraw Międzynarodowych – Clingendael, marzec 2009
skrót artykułu:
Autorka analizuje 10 lat przed przystąpieniem w 1999 roku Polski do NATO i kolejne 10 lat Polski jako państwo członkowskie Sojuszu. Porusza najważniejsze kwestie pierwszej dekady Polski w NATO jak: polski proamerykanizm, polskie cele w NATO, dwie polisy bezpieczeństwa NATO i UE, udział Polski w wojnie w Iraku oraz wydarzenia roku 2008: konflikt w Gruzji i umowa o tarczy antyrakietowej. Całość zamykają wnioski na przyszłość, czyli co dalej z Polską w NATO.
Opublikowane w portalu Polonia.NL 11.03.2009
