WARSAW — In his recent column for POLITICO, “Poland’s risky ‘America first’ policy” (October 4), Paul Taylor argues that Poland should work with the leaders of France and Germany instead of the United States in order to boost its international standing.
Taylor’s rhetoric may be appealing to audiences in the West. But for his premise to be tenable for those of us in the East, European leaders will have to back up their support with more than just happy rhetoric.
It should come as no surprise that Polish politicians seek American support. Warsaw has always sought strong alliances so as to remain a free and prosperous country. And today, Poland needs allies more than ever. Russia is once again playing a deadly game with the West — with assassination attempts, cyberattacks, and military interventions.
The Cold War was a battle for global dominance between two universalist ideologies — capitalism and communism. For Moscow, today’s competition is about its survival as a power in the international order. It’s about holding on to the remnants of the Russian Empire. Poland was once part of that empire, and has no desire to go back in time.
It needs to be remembered that Poles have a liking for Americans. In a poll earlier this year, 43 percent of Poles declared sympathy for Americans. Only 19 percent have a negative opinion of them. By comparison, 19 percent love Russians, but 49 percent dislike them. The recent appointment of Georgette Mosbacher as U.S. ambassador to Poland is a signal of strong ties between the countries. She is a member of the New York elite, one that U.S. President Donald Trump comes from.
Warsaw needs the support of its European partners too, of course. European leaders must stick to their promises of higher military spending and of tightening military cooperation within the European Union.
The EU’s “founding fathers” supported the creation of tools to limit the activities of other superpowers, and advocated for increased European spending on armaments. Today, these policies are supported by the majority of EU citizens. Three-quarters of them also support further integration in this area.
Maybe it’s time to deliver on the promise of a safer Europe — to go further with the security agenda, without neglecting the U.S.
Piotr Arak
Head of Polish Economic Institute
Warsaw, Poland