Polish politics and foreign policy tends to focus on three countries when it comes to furthering Polish interests and ensuring security in the region. However, this singular focus on allying with the US, Germany or Russia often overlooks the most important and effective alliance Poland already has: the Visegrad Four.
Recently, there have been doubts concerning the pro-American direction after US was accused of abandoning the Kurds to their foes in Turkey, despite the US-Kurdish alliance in the war against ISIS.
It is true that the situation in the Middle East is complicated. Turkey is a NATO ally and alliances are forever shifting in a region where chaos often reigns. However, Poland has to realize that when US interests are at stake, especially concerning a larger power like Turkey, it may step away from existing alliances that do not serve its interests.
Poland’s alternatives in regards to forging close alliances with other larger powers are not much better. The pro-German and pro-Russian wings of Polish politics would both be associated with losing Polish independence.
A united Central Europe was not only able to defeat Frans Timmermans, the executive vice president-designate of the European Commission antagonistic to Polish interests, but also received commissioners in other key areas where the East-West divide is stark in Europe.
Poland is building on the region’s first success. In that case, we were able to stop the compulsory relocation of migrants to our country, all with the help of fellow countries like Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
What other victories could Central Europe achieve if it were permanently united? There has been little thought given to such an approach in Polish politics.
It would be an alliance based on countries that actually have similar interests and values, and who are not just concerned with building their global presence at the expense of their own citizens.
Instead, Polish policy is based on alliances with countries that have already built powerful positions in the world and are now defending them, even at the cost of ambitious, smaller countries.
Poland does not need to look far for good friends. We understand what is at stake for all our countries in the Visegrad Four and when contending with larger powers aligned against us, we will always be stronger together than apart.
