Abstract:

The three decades after the fall of communism in 1989 proved to be a good time for Poland’s national security. A sovereign Poland effectively reconstructed its foreign and security policy from the ground up, following 40 years of Soviet domination. She reorganized her treaty-based relations with neighboring states, consolidated its own borders and rejected old military and economic alliances. The Polish political transformation, although costly in social terms, has made it a democratic and economically successful state, anchored in NATO and the EU, regionally cooperative and selectively engaged in the global agenda - occasionally “punching above its weight”. This article deals with the key aspects of Poland’s post-1989 security policy. It begins with an analysis of the key historical factors contributing to continuity and change in this policy, stemming from national responses to the changing external environment and evolving state sovereignty. A detailed analysis of Poland’s security policy after 1989, covers the following issues: Poland’s path to NATO and subsequent national priorities as a member of the Alliance, the role of the USA in Polish security policy, the approach to collective security, and last but not least, the role of European Union. It ends with a reflection on the contemporary challenges confronting the national security policy.

Keywords: