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10
Introduction
spaceisgivenovertothecontroversiesandassessmentssurroundingtoughchoices
madewiththeaimofstrengtheningthenationalpositionatapointintimewhen
Polandwasatlastabletobuildupitsinternationalactivityonthesolidfoundations
ofindependence.
ThisbookdoesnotaspiretopresenttheexternalrelationsofPoland,sThird
Republicintheirentirety,butratherconnesitselftoelementsfallingunderthe
headingofforeignpolicyinthestrictsense.Forastate,sexternalrelationsare
notthesameasitsforeignpolicy,thescopeoftheformerbeingfarwider,asthey
forexampleencompasssectoralrelationsinthedifferentspheresofinternational
tradedevelopedbydifferentministriesandagenciesofthepublicadministration,
orindeedbynon-stateentities.Itisalsoworthrecallingthatfar-from-minorpartof
"foreignaffairs”constitutedaseverydayroutinearisesoutofcommitmentsastate
hastakenon,aswellastherolethatstateplaysinbroader"internationallife”.
Alloftheaboveisprecededbyahistoricalchapterthatseekstopointinhighly
abbreviatedfashiontothemainforeignpolicyissuesfacedbyPolandfromthe
momentofitsreinstatementin1918,uptothelastdaysofthePeople,sRepublicin
1989.Theaimofincludingthishasbeentoaidthereaderinhis/herunderstanding
ofvariousoftheissuesappearinginthemainpartofthebook.Keepingfaithwith
thebook,stitleof"foreignpolicy”,theauthoroffershisaccountfromtheviewpoint
ofthecentreactuallychargedwiththepursuitofthatpolicyintheThirdRepublic,
inaccordancewithitsConstitution,andbyvirtueofitsactsofparliament;which
istosaythegovernment,andwithinthatinparticulartheMinistryof(ormore
preciselytheMinisterfor)ForeignAffairs.Itmustneverthelessberemembered
thatthereweremomentswheneitherthepresidentortheprimeministerofPoland
playedrstddleindeterminingcertainaspectsofforeignpolicy.Eventhen,how-
ever,thepolicyinquestionwasalwaysimplemented,andthroughmostofthe
ThirdRepublicalsoframedandcoordinated,bytheforeignministry.2
Thisbookisconcernedwiththerealforeignpolicy,i.e.theonethatPolandhas
actuallybeenpursuing(the"positive”policyratherthanthepostulatedone).What
thisisnot,then,isastudyofaccompanyingconcepts,options,criticismsordebate.
Whilealwaysinterestingandattimesfascinating,thesethreadsareonlyreferred
tointermittentlyhere.Thisfactmakesitallthemorenecessarytostresshowvery
intensethedebateoverforeignpolicyinPoland,sThirdRepublichasactuallybeen,
theevidenceforthatbeingnumerousmediaarticles,virtuallywholecyclesofdis-
2AsprovidedforintheRepublicofPoland,s1997Constitution(Article146inparticular),aswellas
theActof4November1997onthedivisionsofthegovernmentaladministration,whichinteraliacharges
theministerforforeignaffairswithcoordinatingtheactivityofotherstateinstitutionsandbodieswhere
foreignrelationsareconcerned.Seeforexample:R.Kuźniar,"Wewnętrzneuwarunkowaniapolskiej
politykizagranicznej”[InnerconditionsofPolishforeignpolicy],in:R.Kuźniar,K.Szczepanik(eds.),
PolitykazagranicznaRP1989–2002[Poland,sforeignpolicy1989–2002],Askon,FundacjaStudiów
Międzynarodowych,Warsaw2002;R.Stemplowski,WprowadzeniedoanalizypolitykizagranicznejRP
[IntroductiontoananalysisofPoland,sforeignpolicy],PISM,Warsaw2006.