The August parades, war demagogues and fighting force of muscles of Polish politicians and politicians in the event of an armed clash with Russia, are expected to make us aware that we are surviving in a dangerous period of waiting for the worst.
You can hear from the mouth of many “wise” that we have only a fewer years left to arm ourselves “to the teeth”, waiting for the inevitable war. Is that an extraordinary intuition, or is it the helplessness and stupidity that pierces specified expectations? How about the mindless function of the instigator? Unfortunately, specified projections can take on the character of self-fulfilling prophecies.
In another reflection, I firmly return to the request to reconstruct pro-peaceful reasoning in Poland.. It is known that the threat of war relieves politicians of thought effort. It gives them area for arbitrary rhetoric and a space to make decisions that would not usually be able to implement. Even in the moments of their top exultation, however, we request to ask apparent but hard questions. Who in Poland and for what is war needed? What objectives does Poland want to achieve, aiming to straight engage in attacks against Russia? Why does the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence, notabene by profession of doctor, not realize that people feel safe erstwhile cannons are silent and they are cared for? Don't they gotta wait in the horrendous queues for hospitals and dream to get to the test before their wellness deteriorates long adequate for only hope of eternal salvation?
The tragedy of Polish politics is the deficiency of specified a political elite that would be able to think independently and “all” about the state and the improvement of society in a longer word than the election term. Which could prepare a modern army not for war purposes, but for the defence of its citizens, with complementary usage of all peaceful means, including agreements and diplomacy. And who would be able to spell out specified a strategy in a rational way, not in a demagogue and affective way, by “grating into feathers” of invincible patriots.
We've been through all this in history! In 1939, there was neither an army strong adequate nor a strategical imagination beyond the tromtadration. And the enemies were real, not "constructed." Why the next generation toss to the stake? It can be seen that it is mediocre to absorb any sciences from history, and even worse to conclude from today's analysis of "bringing" Poland into different conflicts.
The war in Ukraine is primarily in the interests of the United States. For a reason, the president Joe Biden He promised at the beginning that it would be long and expensive. After all, it lies in the interest of the state, which justifies its military commitment not only by calculating the maintenance of the primacy of power in a power game, but by fighting for universal values, specified as freedom and democracy. However, not all countries, especially society, share this universalism. Including Ukrainians who are far from Western standards in terms of respect for religious, linguistic or educational rights and freedoms. In Poland fewer people announcement what happens to even the Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate and its followers.
From St. Augustin, through Luther and Machiavelli, to Bodin and Hobbes, as well as 20th-century political realists, “no order can be enjoyed freedom” (Kenneth N. Waltz). Life and guarantees of endurance and certainty are more crucial than justice and freedom. There is so no reason for Poland to make another nations happy in the name of freedom and democracy, as they themselves decide their preferences and have their rations, which in a plural global strategy should be respected.
Blind ‘Elite’
Polish leaders do not see the interplay of crucial causes of war in Ukraine. They besides do not want to see increasing opposition in Western societies to this conflict. It is clear that political forces in the United States, Germany, France, Austria and Italy will be coming to power in order to see Russia as meaningless. This will besides affect the reorientation of EU policy. Who in Poland cares about specified evolution?
Nor is it true, contrary to the pathetic delights, that all military and capital presence from outside the Atlantic serves only godly purposes on the Vistula. Half poorness if the “Atlantic legions” play a deterrent and deterrence role. However, erstwhile they begin to participate in offensive actions against Russia, Poland will bring on itself the largest military respite, with hard to foretell consequences. Alliance guarantees can prove highly costly, of which more and more citizens are already aware.
None of the Polish politicians analyse the evolution of the American strategy in terms of reviewing the interior priorities and moving distant from Europe towards Asia and the Pacific. Putting on expanding war budgets and reinforcements as a consequence to Europe's "de-Americanization" is simply a way to full political and economical disaster. First of all, it will be the collapse of the European Union, which compromises its ideas. It was to build “unity in diversity”, to be a platform for dialog and compromise. besides to countries outside its borders, and possibly to those to extend the culture of peace and cooperation. After all, the European Communities have been set up to guarantee that Europeans never fight again.
So far, the zaoceanic power is simply a tool for the global dominance of a large financial, industrial and military oligarchy. And it is the interests of this oligarchy that find America's interest in the various fields of global trade and the vital regions of the globe in terms of large capital. So as long as America sees its interests in confronting Russia, each of its presidents will declare their commitment to defending the resources of east Europe. Poland is so waiting for the worst possible strategy: "the worse, the better". The greater the hostility towards Russia, the more assured America's commitment to the war “in our defense”.
Assuming that Poland by its very fact of belonging to western structures has become the West is simply a logical abuse and a diagnostic error. Poland does not have a rich cultural and material heritage that confirms its western identity. Belonging to Western structures as a “late-coming” does not equal the deficits caused by the deficiency of reformation, enlightenment or era of liberalism (free-competitive capitalism) which caused intellectual transformations there, impossible to catch up.
False Priorities
In a geocultural sense, Poland belongs to Central Europe, which naturally makes it a "bridge" and "transit" country. From specified a position with a wise policy of "counterweighting" or "active distance" Poland could draw what is best – build the position of a "regional moderator", or even a stableness of regional balance. In spite of these advantages, Polish decision-makers place it “at the edge” of the western system, which makes Poland a “front” state (in the favourite geopolitics jargons – a “breakdown zone”, but paradoxically besides a distant and “peripheral” state for most western countries.
Polish politicians like fire avoid realistic thinking. Under the influence of abroad Suflers and harmful to Poland, the scenarios set Poland as a “regional strongman” who is willing to service not only the interests of his powerholders and patrons, but besides to hazard armed confrontation with the “constructed” enemy, Russia. They do so in the name of blind solidarity with Ukraine, on which Poland's policy has no influence, and on which various, increasingly insolent and offensive confrontations meet it. Ukraine has already become the beneficiary of Western rusophobia and is increasing up to be Poland's main rival in the fight for position in the Western community.
Poland needs not only a imagination of its place in the Western group, but besides a reliable diagnosis of strength, opportunities and opportunities in order to conduct independent policies in the area of defining interests and implementing them. It cannot be that our NATO allies, especially the Americans, the British and Germany, know better what Poland and Poles request and what global strategy they should serve. A strategy of peace, not war, should become an imperative! This peace fosters the improvement of the possible and strengthening of the global position. The war will destruct all achievements to date and push Poland into the function of the subject.
EU and NATO dogma
In the last decade, Polish abroad policy has been reduced to 2 non-alternative vectors, mutually imposing: Atlantic and EU. Contrary to the logic of counterbalance and complementarity, there is no addition in the form of a reasonable east policy. Enmity with Russia and Belarus, like uncritical solidarity with Ukraine, is based on the current commitment to a conflict that no 1 can solve. The full strategical thought of modern Poland is based on the “war pit”. It's as bad as it gets.
So for the current ruling coalition, as for the United Right, fueling the atmosphere of fear and hostility towards Russia is simply a "fuel" of a continuous propaganda campaign. It is accompanied by the banalization of the war, which prepares society in case not so much of Russian aggression, but the engagement of Poland on the side of attacking forces. What consequences can there be for Poles, fewer people care. Pro-war psychosis and demonstration of readiness for pathetic, yet thoughtless and unnecessary sacrifices for homeland are important. We've got problem and hazard in our blood. Especially erstwhile interior affairs go in the incorrect direction, diverting public attention towards war can be a temptation to resist.
Poland's policy is instrumental in giving the conflict in Ukraine an “unsolvable” character, as is the case with the conflict in Palestine (cf. Daniel Bar-Tal, “Illusions that destruct life. The conflict between the Israeli State and the Palestinians", Warsaw 2024). Bismarck has already designed the “eastern issue” as a “bleeding wound”, “like an ulcer that should bleed but never heal.” This has been the case for respective 100 years with various swindlers and swindlers who, for their evil plans, aim at strengthening and perpetuating in Central and east European societies the sentiment and hatred of Russia.
The Polish case of anti-Russian policy is of a peculiar nature. It is determined by complex past and hard geopolitics, on which full libraries have already been written. However, the increase in cognition does not affect the rationalisation of political behaviour. On the contrary, all realistic view of the situation is marginalized, for demons of irrationalism, negation of the function of reason and even common sense prevail. It is intellectual and emotional factors that dictate ideological orientation towards Russia. The Polish state is part of the worst tradition of building national psychosis, rusophobia of historical consciousness, distorting cognitive perspectives by pushy propaganda and moral and political blackmail towards those who think differently. We are dealing with false formatting of public consciousness, which, through a persistent anti-Russian dictatorship, loses the inside-steer busol.
Stock mentality
In the era of access to various sources of information, it would seem that society is able to respond wisely to harmful manipulations by power and media. Meanwhile, low levels of education, susceptibility to patriotic exaltation and mythology of the stories of broad social masses consequence in a herd reaction. Acceptance of primitive messages about the heroism of compatriots, or their uniqueness causes them to focus around power, which through demagogue grips strengthens the collective sense of power and values. They are heightened by contrasting with an hated enemy, of whom there is no real knowledge, but by the prejudices and misconceptions of erstwhile generations. Imaginations, attitudes, myths and stereotypes find the perception of Russia. In addition, there is an insane megalomania that in recognizing the intentions of the Kremlin Poland is simply a top European.
Such attitudes are served by the Polish strategy of historical education, based on the reproduction of mitological knowledge. There is simply a deficiency of wise "historic revisionism" that would disprove the doctrine of teaching false past so far to plan itself in a modern and interdependent and so tolerant and knowing world. The presumption of Russia's permanent hostility towards Poland is not only contrary to facts. It besides deviates from the political and media narratives of the Russians, who neither complain about us nor search discord. Recognising Russia as an enemy and calling for it to be defeated in the ongoing war becomes a dogmatic determinant of patriotic loyalty and false allied fidelity. And the irrational readiness to "die for Kiev" indicates a failure of self-preservation instinct alternatively than a sober calculation of risk.
By submitting to all possible determinisms, Poles presume work for the "perpetuating" conflict with Russia. There are real reasons for this, as the American strategy needs Poland as "the historical bone of disagreement, standing in the throat of both Germany and Russia". America must, through its military and economical commitment, guarantee that this "bone" continues to be there and hinder the return of Russia's average relations with Germany (George Friedman).
While Ukraine "ruins" hostility towards Russians, strengthening nationalist identity, and with sustained external support it will build its position of armed "bastion" or "rigle" of the West towards Russia, Poland will be possessed for many years by armed madness, successive waves of disappointments due to western "resets" and obsession with the threat of "returning alliances". But the question remains, sobering minds, how long can 1 proceed in constant hatred and hostility? Do the rulers realise their work for the next generations of Poles, erstwhile they are prepared for them by intellectual terror, that is, permanent state of fear and uncertainty towards 1 of the most crucial neighbours?
It is hard to measure the chances of changing this perfidious plan, which restrains the vital forces of the nation in Poland and directs energy into an unproductive conflict, which is the origin of the global confrontation of powers. The retreat from the strategizing strategy can only be done by Poles themselves, taking example from Turkey, not to mention Hungary. However, courageous political leaders must appear, armed with analytical cognition about the collective awareness of Poles and their conditions. And besides about a cynical power game that can never be trusted due to their Realpolitik. Only they can propose a fresh communicative on the interplay of neighbouring and regional interests, determining the identity of nations, guaranteeing common safety and disunion from war.
Time for realism
The impetus for specified a change can be to intensify the national debate, involving reasoning and courageous people who will be willing to defy pathological indoctrination. First, though, we request to do any late reading, even if Alexander Bocheński “There is foolishness in Poland”, or Lech Mazhevski "Insurgent blackmail". You should besides read informative books by American political realists, specified as Kenneth N. Waltz, Stephen Walt or John Mearsheimer. Fortunately, their works are already available in Polish.
Wherever possible, the cognition that the long-term conflict in the East is harmful to both Poland and Ukraine should be spread. The second builds alternatively of democracy a permanent alibi for strengthening the oligarchic and usurpatory governments. Poland, on the another hand, is becoming a puppet in the politics of the United States, subjected to specified a "brainwashing" that as a result, it loses its national and cultural identity. It is already visible present that the anticipation of deciding on itself is being dismantled in our eyes and, above all, the right to argue the sinister decisions taken in NATO or the European Union decision-making centres.
Sentencing Poland to proceed in insoluble conflict inevitably generates immense costs, harms Polish democracy, and overpowers the culture and discipline environment, which, for various reasons, undergo pathological psychosis. In Poland, you can see how much harm rusophobic propaganda has done in the minds of cultural elites. erstwhile he fell asleep, pro-war ghosts woke up.
Prof. Stanisław Bielen
Photo: defilada 15 August 2024 (fb MON profile)
Think Poland, No. 37-38 (8-15.09.2024)
