Foreign Policy of Poland in the Post -Cold War Era Between the West and the East

Abstract

This paper aims to provide an answer to the question how Poland adapted its foreign policy to the new and changing geopolitical situation since 1989, in order to secure its basic national interests and support democratic transformation. It also overviews its most important vectors, goals, tendencies and problems throughout the last 27 years. It argues that the Polish external activity since the end of the Cold War has been largely focused on the events which occurred in Europe and the transatlantic area. This strictly regional fixation has been caused mostly by the specific geopolitical position of Poland, as well as by its limited resources in comparison to the Western European powers. Therefore, its foreign policy usually expressed limited interest in the extra-European affairs, with the exception of the military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan at the beginning of the 21st century.