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Poland and Eastern Europe, 4/1/07
Key Lecture Points:
• It has been over 15 years since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. In that time, the nations of Eastern Europe, most of them former members of the Soviet-controlled “Warsaw Pact” (including East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and for a few years, Albania) have taken a decided turn towards the West. All of these nations have, in some form or another, joined both NATO and the European Union.
• These events have resulted in a liberalization of the areas that were, until 15 years ago, dominated by the USSR. This has expanded civil liberties and economic opportunities behind the former Iron Curtain. But the changes have not come without difficulties. Poland, for example, has seen its economy expand (by a rate of 5.8% in 2006), but it also suffers under a burden of 15% unemployment.
• The principal actors of the West (the United States, Britain, France and Germany) have played a key role in the shift of Eastern Europe and appear eager to capitalize on that role, particularly when it comes to military strategy. The US, for example, has established three new military bases in Bulgaria and four in Romania.
• At the same time, the shift of Eastern Europe has also resulted in Russia’s net loss of economic resources, military power, and national prestige. From the perspective of Moscow, the conversion of Eastern Europe to NATO and the EU is viewed by many Russians (particularly in the military) as more of a threat than progress.
• In February 2007, the Polish government stated that it would permit the United States to install a missile defense system in its territory (with the control radar in the neighboring Czech Republic). Russia is alarmed and infuriated about this missile defense system. The US State Department states that the new system is intended to defend against “missiles launched from the middle east”. Skeptics suggest that the new system could trigger a new arms race.
For More Information:
• On NATO Expansion into Eastern Europe: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1997/Bene.htm
• On Poland: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/print/pl.html
• On Proposed US Missile System in Poland: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6376137.stm
Books For Further Reading:
• Lukowski, Jerzy, Zawadzki, Hubert. A Concise History of Poland. Cambridge University Press, 2006. 371 pages.
Description: The second edition of this guide to Poland has been updated to take account of the years from 1989-2005. This period marked its liberation from the Soviet Union, the birth of Poland's 'Third Republic' and, recently, its accession to the European Union in 2004.
Click here to order.
• Asmus, Ronald D. Opening NATO’s Door: How the Alliance Remade Itself for a New Era. Columbia University Press, 2004. 372 pages.
Description: Drawing on the still-classified archives of the U.S. Department of State, Asmus recounts how and why American policymakers, against formidable odds at home and abroad, expanded NATO as part of a broader strategy to overcome Europe's Cold War divide and to modernize the Alliance for a new era.
Click here to order.
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