Prof. Bohdan Szklarski, a specialist in American studies, lecturer at the University of Warsaw and the Collegium Civitas private university, spoke to Witold Żygulski.
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new tenant will move into the White House in January. How will this affect Polish-U.S. relations, especially given that Donald Trump is openly supported by politicians from the ruling right wing as well as government media? Indeed, the people who govern Poland have put all their proverbial eggs in one basket. However, I am convinced that there will be no drastic deterioration of relations, because we are simply not important enough as a country. There is nothing to be afraid of, but there is an unpleasant aftertaste. Much has been said in Warsaw in recent years about our special relations with the United States; I think we will be given a reality check. We have been pumping this balloon ourselves for years, boasting about the friendship of U.S. presidents, military cooperation, and so on. Meanwhile, we should realize that Poland is not and cannot be a strategic partner for Washington; simply put, we play in a much lower league. Maybe Joe Biden’s victory will be a sobering experience. On the other hand, today it is hard to tell where and by whom the foundations of Poland’s policy toward the United States are being built. Until now, it seemed that it was the presidential center, but after the embarrassment of supporting Trump and not congratulating Biden (Andrzej Duda only congratulated him on a “successful election campaign”), the Polish president’s position has been significantly undermined. This has been compounded by internal friction within the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party around the presidenProf. Bohdan Szklarski tial draft law on abortion. It The Warsaw Voice
POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
USA - POLAND: NOT SO NEW DEAL MUCH HAS BEEN SAID IN WARSAW IN RECENT YEARS ABOUT OUR SPECIAL RELATIONS WITH THE UNITED STATES; I THINK WE WILL BE GIVEN A REALITY CHECK is really difficult to say where the policy toward Washington is being developed right now. During Trump’s term of office, however, we heard many declarations from both sides that Polish-U.S. relations had never been better. What remains of that today? It is easy to see that Polish-U.S. relations were “special” mostly on a declarative level. As soon as Poland put itself on a collision course with the United States, the other side voiced its dissatisfaction without hesitation. When the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) law was passed in Poland, the State Department did not hesitate to immediately criticize it. The same happened with the so-called re-Polonization of media: When it concerned the TVN television station, which is controlled by U.S. capital, Ambassador Georgette Mosbacher reacted with outrage. Looking at the Americans’ response, it was hard to find the restraint that should characterize countries with “special relations.” They did not bother waiting for diplomatic channels, nothing was nuanced, no one showed sensitivity. The style in which they told off the Polish people was completely unimportant to the Americans. Winter 2020
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