Poland's Security Policy: The West, Russia, and the Changing International Order

ISBN-13: 9781137594990 / Angielski / Twarda / 2016 / 226 str.

Justyna Zaj C.

Opis

This book examines how the changing post-Cold War order affected Poland's security policy and particularly how the West's weakening position and Russia's revisionist policy reinforced the traditional view of security in Poland. It addresses the reasons why Poland, a middle power in Central Europe, adopted a bridging strategy in the early 1990s; how this strategy changed along with the redistribution of power in the international system; why, after the 2008 Georgian-Russian War, Poland took steps to support NATO consolidation, strengthen relations with the USA, and expand its own military capabilities; and how the Ukraine crisis affected Poland's security. This overview is an invaluable resource for students of international and European studies, security studies, political science, as well as for decision-makers, politicians, EU staff, and anyone interested in international politics in Central Europe.

Recenzje

"Poland's Security Policy by Justyna Zajac provides an excellent and timely read, an empirically well-informed and deftly written account of the entire post-communist security policy development in Poland that currently celebrates its twentieth anniversary of NATO membership and the fifteenth anniversary of EU accession. This critically reflective book will therefore present a real intellectual treat for all those doing or interested in Polish security politics per se." (Andriy Tyushka, Pol-Int, pol-int.org, January 14, 2020)
"Justyna Zajac's book delivers an in-depth analysis of all those determinants along with factual explanations. ... The author also highlights certain advantages for Poland arising from the Ukrainian conflict, such as the strengthening of cooperation with the US ... Zajac's book provides a very interesting insight into Poland's security policy from the period of post-communist transition until the present day." (Anna Antczak, Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 70 (2), March, 2018)

Spis treści

Acknowledgments

Introduction

 

Chapter 1

Post-Cold War Determinants of Poland’s Security Policy

1.      Geopolitical Location: Advantage or Curse?

2.      Demographic, Social and Economic Potential

3.      History and Identity in Poland’s Security Policy

4.      Strategies and Concepts of Polish Security Policy

 

Chapter 2

‘Go West’: Poland's Security Policy in Transition

1.      The Emergence of Western Dominance

2.      Poland’s Role in Dismantling the Eastern Bloc

3.      Poland’s Reorientation Toward the West

4.      From Favoring the CSCE to NATO Membership and Rapprochement with the WEU

5.      Poland’s Eastern Policy: Bridge or Bulwark?

 

Chapter 3

US Global Hegemony: Poland’s Security Policy in a Unipolar World Order

1.      US Global Hegemony, Shoring up the EU, Russian Weakness

2.      NATO as the Main Pillar of Poland’s Security

3.      Strategic Partnership with the USA <

4.      Poland’s Caution with Regard to the ESDI and the ESDP

5.      The Diminishing Importance of the OSCE in Poland’s Security Policy

6.      Growing Tensions between Poland and Russia

 

Chapter 4

Poland’s Security Policy in the Emerging Multipolar World Order

1.      America’s Turns to Asia, the EU Stumbles, Russia Resurges

2.      Poland’s Growing Fear of Russia

3.      The Quest for NATO Consolidation and Closer Polish-US Ties

4.      Poland’s Growing Defense Capabilities

5.      Poland and the CSDP

6.      Support for Pro-Western Currents in Post-Soviet States

 

Chapter 5

The Ukraine Crisis: Implications for Poland’s Security

1.      The Ukraine Crisis as a Clash between the West and Russia

2.      Polish-Ukrainian Strategic Partnership

3.      Poland’s Engagement in the Ukraine Crisis

4.      The Impact of the Ukraine Crisis on Poland’s Security

4.1. Deterioration of Polish-Russian Relations

4.2. Strengthening Polish Defense Capabilities

4.3. Reinforcing NATO’s Eastern Flank

4.4. Increasing Polish-American Cooperation

1. Poland and Other EU Member States with Regard to the Ukraine Crisis

 

Conclusions

O autorze

Professor Justyna Zając teaches International Relations at the University of Warsaw. She served on the presidential commission charged with drawing up the National Security Strategic Review, which formed the basis for the White Book of National Security of the Republic of Poland (2013). She has written several books and articles on Poland’s foreign and security policy.

Blurb

This book examines how the changing post-Cold War order affected Poland’s security policy and particularly how the West’s weakening position and Russia’s revisionist policy reinforced the traditional view of security in Poland. It addresses the reasons why Poland, a middle power in Central Europe, adopted a bridging strategy in the early 1990s; how this strategy changed along with the redistribution of power in the international system; why, after the 2008 Georgian-Russian War, Poland took steps to support NATO consolidation, strengthen relations with the USA, and expand its own military capabilities; and how the Ukraine crisis affected Poland's security. This overview is an invaluable resource for students of international and European studies, security studies, political science, as well as for decision-makers, politicians, EU staff, and anyone interested in international politics in Central Europe.

This unusually interesting, convincing and topical monograph describes the security policy of Poland – a middle power left in suspension between the West and Russia after the end of the Cold War. The great merit of this book is to provide a clear overview of this policy’s evolution in light of neorealist theory and as a function of the ongoing redistribution of power in the international system. Prof. Justyna Zając’s book makes it possible to understand the specific, Central European nature of Poland’s security policy in a changing international order.

  Professor Ryszard Zięba, University of Warsaw, Poland