Reopening the Wounds of History? The Foreign Policy of the ‘Fourth’ Polish Republic

Abstract

The 2005 parliamentary and presidential elections in Poland led to Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (Law and Justice) coming to power. In the handling of its relations with the EU, Germany, Russia and the United States, the government broadly continued the same policies as its predecessors. However, there was a marked change in style, and the nationalistic overtones of the rhetoric emanating from Warsaw became increasingly pronounced. This was partly a consequence of the weakening of several internal foreign policy ‘stabilizers’. Relations between Poland and its two larger neighbours and the EU became increasingly strained. The government also continued to align Poland closely with the United States, although this approach became increasingly controversial.