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Introduction
9
Thiscomprisesfourcategoriesofgoalfollowingonfromnationalinterests,i.e.
1)independence,sovereigntyandterritorialintegrity,2)nationalsecurity,stability
ofthegivenstate,sinternationalsurroundings,3)conditionssustainingunhindered
economicdevelopment,civilisationalprogress,participationinthecivilisational
developmentofEuropeandtheworld,4)thestate,srole,prestigeandposition
internationally.Sureenough,Poland,spost-1989foreignpolicyhasbeensuchasto
allowthestagescorrespondingtothesequenceoffourobjectivestobediscerned
innear-textbookfashion.Goalsinherenttothedifferentcategorieshaveprevailed
ateachsuccessivestage.Inthefirst(1989–1993)period,themostimportantthing
wastoregainsovereignty,i.e.topermitthecountrytofreeitselfofthevariouslimi-
tationsanddependencyrelationshipsthathadcharacteriseditinitsformerstatus
assatellitestateandmemberofthecommunistbloc.Itwasimperativeforborders
tobeconfirmed,theWarsawPactdissolvedandrelationswiththeUSSRreworked
(interaliabybringingtheSovietmilitarypresenceinPolandtoanend).Thesecond
(1993–1997/8)stagewasmainlydevotedtoaffordingPolandthestrongestpos-
siblesecurityguarantees,theworkinpracticedenotingtheefforttojointheNorth
AtlanticAlliance.Thethird(1998–2002/3)stageidentifiableinPoland,sforeign
policylinkedupwithnegotiationsoverthecountry,smembershipofandaccession
totheEuropeanUnion,thisbeingperceivedasanopportunityforroot-and-branch
modernisationandsteadyeconomicdevelopment,aswellasinconsequencefor
araisingofthelevelofwellbeingofinhabitants.Byaligningwithandthenjoining
theEU,Polandwouldimprovetheconditionsunderwhichitparticipatedinthe
worldeconomy,aswellasraiseitslevelofcompetitivenessontheinternational
market.Finally,themostrecentperiodbeginninginlate2002andearly2003has
beenwitnessingclearattemptsbyPolandtoenhanceitsprestigeandelevateits
standinginternationally(interaliainreferencetothewarinIraqanddisputesover
theEU,sDraftConstitutionalTreaty).
Naturallyenough,anyidentificationofsuchstagesinrespectofforeignpolicy
mustbemoreamatterofconventionthananythingelse,totheextentthatpolicyin
anycountry(theThirdRepublicofPolandfromthefirstmomentofitsexistence
notexcepted)inevitablyentailsthepursuitofallthedifferentobjectivessimultane-
ously.Specificcontentlikewisechangesinrelationtobothexternalcircumstances
andinternalpreferences,asthelatterlinkupwiththe(ruling)politicalcomplexion
beingexpressedatthegiventime.Nonetheless,weareleftinnodoubtatallthat
Polishforeignpolicypost1989hasdisplayedaseriesofcentresofgravitythatdo
indeedlineupinalogicalsequencewheretherankingofobjectivesisconcerned,
anddoformasufficientbasisfortheidentificationofdifferentpartsofthework
inprogress.Itistothesecentresofgravitythatthefirstchaptersofthefourcon-
secutivepartsaredevoted,andfromthemthattheirtitles–relatingtosovereignty,
security,developmentandprestige–arederived.Theremainingchaptersineach
partareconcernedwithotherimportantforeignpolicyissues.Equally,theconven-
tionismodifiedsomewhatinthelastoftheparts(devotedtoprestige),sincemore