Directions of Poland’s foreign and security policy in the Euro-Atlantic region after 2018

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to propose such directions of Poland’s foreign
policy and security policy in the Euro-Atlantic zone after 2018 which
would maximise opportunities and minimise threats identified in the assessment
of the country’s internal considerations on the one hand, and status of
Poland’s bilateral relations with individual countries, Poland’s multilateral
relations with NATO and the European Union and developments in the international
politics worldwide in 1999–2018 on the other. Given the predefined
limitations as to the length of this study, the objective has been achieved
through: (i) a discussion of Poland’s selected objective internal considerations
(geography; demographic, economic and military potentials); (ii) an analysis
of Poland’s relations with Germany, France, the US, Belarus, Ukraine and
Russia, as well as Poland’s contractual interrelations with NATO and the
European Union; (iii) attempt at classifying these considerations and factors
into opportunities and threats; (iv) description of such proposed directions
of Poland’s foreign policy and security policy in the Euro-Atlantic zone after
2018 which would maximise opportunities/minimise threats thus identified.
The analysis assumes the following research hypothesis: changes in the international
environment, as well as in Poland’s bilateral and multilateral international
relations render it necessary to revise and adjust directions of Poland’s
foreign policy and security policy so that Poland’s position both within Europe
and globally would be rebuilt, and that Poland’s security would be enhanced.