Poland: Poland-US relations - full text
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Polish defence minister Bogdan Klich visited Washington DC on Jan. 14 for talks with US defence secretary Robert Gates concerning US plans to position part of an anti-ballistic missile defence system (MDS) in Poland. On Jan. 12, Reuters reported that Klich had stated that Poland's government would not agree to host a US anti-missile site unless the US government committed in return to improving Poland's security, by modernising Polish short and mid-range air defences.
Immediate Context
Klich's negotiations with Gates, posed a possible risk to the continuingimprovement of relations between Poland and Russia. On Oct. 21, 2007, Donald Tusk’s main opposition centrist Citizens' Platform (PO) party won a landslide victory over incumbent Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski’s minority ruling conservative Law and Justice Party (PiS). The pro-EU PO pledged to improve relations with Germany, Russia, and the EU, relations that had soured under Kaczynski's rule.
In early 2007 Defence Minister Radoslaw Sikorski abruptly resigned over major policy differences with Kaczynski and his twin brother President Lech Kaczynski and on Feb. 19, Jaroslaw Kaczynski and Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek voiced joint support for the MDS proposal. In the US proposal, anti-missile defence bases were to be deployed in Poland and the Czech Republic, designed to protect the eastern US seaboard against a nuclear attack from the Middle East. A radar tracking system in the Czech Republic was intended to guide interceptor missiles from 10 silos near the Baltic Sea in Poland against detected US-bound missiles. Russia's commander of strategic rocket forces, Nikolai Solovtsov, warned on Feb. 19 that Poland and the Czech Republic risked being targeted by Russian missiles if they hosted the bases.
Since assuming power, Tusk's government had quickly attempted to improve relations with Russia, commencing with talks in Brussels on Dec. 7 between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski. The Polish authorities agree to withdraw objections to EU-Russia co-operation negotiations and in return Russia lifted a two-year embargo it had imposed on Polish meat imports.
In November 2006, the meat embargo had resulted in Kaczynski vetoing the start of talks between the EU and Russia on a new partnership accord, focusing predominantly on co-operation in the energy sector. Russia's willingness to lift the ban and Poland's reciprocating willingness to lift its veto heralded improved relations between the two countries.
However, the Russian authorities' fierce opposition to the US MDS left the Polish government in a difficult diplomatic position. Russian president Vladimir Putin had accused the US authorities of threatening Russia's national security interests. In response on Nov. 30 Putin signed into law a bill suspending Russia's participation in a crucial arms’ control measure: the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty of 1990 between members of the former Warsaw Pact and NATO.
Prime Minister Kaczynski's government had agreed in principle to join the US MDS, but Tusk's government had been increasingly reticent about the deal. Sikorski had stressed that shield was a US scheme and not a Polish defence strategy: "this is an American, not a Polish project...we feel no threat from Iran". However, the Dziennik newspaper on Dec.12 reported Klich as stating that "the injection of American funds into modernization of our armed forces would balance the risk to our security linked to the construction of the base." Klich stated that it would be "very difficult" to convince the Polish government to support the programme without additional security measures.
Reaction and Outlook
In January 2007, the extent of the deterioration of Polish international relations resulted in former President Aleksander Kwasniewski (1995-2005) accusing his conservative successor Lech Kaczynski of isolating Poland on the world stage. Kwasniewski, who was instrumental in leading Poland into NATO and the EU, criticised both Lech and Jaroslaw Kaczynski for their handling of foreign affairs and recent disputes with Germany and Russia.After the election of Tusk, presidential envoy for Russia-EU Relations Sergei Yastrzhembsky stated on Dec. 18 that "Russia and Poland are on the verge of a new page in the bilateral relations ... Moscow has taken notice of the messages sent by the Polish premier and members of his government. Citizens of Russia and Poland deserve better bilateral relations."
In March 2007, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, secretary general of NATO, warned that the alliance risked being divided between those members covered by the USA's proposed MDS and those who remained exposed.
Some NATO members, such as Germany, both doubted the effectiveness of the MDS and feared that it would be seen by Russia as provocative. In June 2007 Putin warned that Russia would target missiles at Europe if the USA pressed ahead with the MDS plans: "it is clear that if part of the United States' nuclear capability is situated in Europe and that our military experts consider that they represent a potential threat then we will have to take appropriate retaliatory steps. What steps? Of course we must have new targets in Europe."
On Dec. 5, Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza published an interview with Sikorski in which he stated that "The worsening of Polish-Russian relations due to the shield would be a great cost for us in a situation where we are trying to normalize these relations." Sikorski also expressed concern that a change of political leadership after the upcoming US election could result in the defence shield plan being abandoned: "the worst scenario is a situation in which Poland would agree to the shield, will incur the political costs and then the base is not built because of a change of government in the US."
Historical Context
The golden age of Poland commenced with the unification of Poland and Lithuania at the "Union of Lublin" in 1569. An aristocratic political system developed which became known as the "Golden Liberty" in which the aristocracy controlled the Sejm (the then tricameral legislature) and elected the king. During this period, Poland became the largest country in Europe, yet by the end of the 18th century, the country had ceased to exist. Poland had been partitioned by Russia, Prussia, and Austria. When these three European empires eventually collapsed after World War I, Poland briefly regained its independence.
Polish independence was lost again with the German and Soviet occupation of the region during World War II. On Sept. 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, forcing the Polish military to withdraw to the east. The Soviet Union then invaded on Sept. 17, 1939, resulting in the complete occupation of Poland. The invasion of Poland eventually resulted in the UK and France declaring war on Germany and during the course of the war, an estimated six million Polish citizens lost their lives.
In late 1944, German control of Poland began to collapse, enabling Soviet President Joseph Stalin to impose Soviet rule upon Poland. At the February 1945 Yalta conference Poland was awarded the areas of Poland which had been occupied by Germany, whilst the Soviet Union incorporated eastern Poland. The Yalta conference approved the creation of a provisional pro-Communist coalition government, but the Communist Polish United Worker's Party (UWP) ignored the exiled Polish government and gradually gained complete control over Poland. In September 1952, Poland became the People's Republic of Poland and adopted a new constitution which declared the country to be a Soviet state.
In 1956, following the death of Stalin in 1953, the Central Committee of the UWP elected a new governing body (politburo) from which all former "Stalinist" elements were dropped. The new Polish government was determined to intensify a trend towards further democratisation of the country's political and economic life, asserting that it would continue the policy of friendship and alliance with the Soviet Union, but that it was determined to pursue its own road to socialism.
The following years were typified by economic and political instability; the announcement in 1970 of major increases in the price of food and fuel lead to mass demonstrations and strikes. Violent riots developed in the Baltic ports of Gdansk, Gdynia, and Szczecin, resulting in a heavy loss of life.
The wave of strikes led to the formation of the independent trade union Solidarity, led by Lech Walesa. In response, Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski imposed martial law. The state of martial law was formally lifted in July 1983, following the stabilisation of the internal security situation. In 1989, a series of round-table talks between the Polish authorities and the outlawed Solidarity trade union concluded on April 5 with the signing of three comprehensive agreements covering trade union pluralism, political reforms, and economic and social policy. The agreements provided for the re-legalisation of Solidarity, a rescue plan for the Polish economy, and major constitutional and legal changes. In December 1990, Lech Walesa gained a landslide victory in the second round of presidential elections. Walesa had secured the backing of virtually all of the country's political and social organisations, including the Catholic Church. The following years saw the Polish government improving foreign relations, with Poland formally being admitted to NATO in April 1999 and joining the EU in May 2004.
Since Jaroslaw Kaczynski's conservative PiS party narrowly won the September 2005 election, Poland had experienced almost perpetual political instability. The party had operated as a minority government, and in May 2006 a majority coalition was formed with two smaller parties: the right-wing League of Polish Families and the agrarian Samoobrona (Self-Defence) Party. The coalition became increasingly strained and collapsed on July 9 when Andrzej Lepper, deputy prime minister, minister of agriculture, and leader of Samoobrona was dismissed after allegations of corruption.
