The Ukrainian / Crimean crisis and its perception by Polish think tanks : conceptualizing public / private actors in foreign policy

Abstract

The Ukrainian / Crimean crisis is commonly perceived as a major systemic crisis in Europe since the end of the Cold War. With Russian Federation activities involved, it is claimed to surpass even the Balkan crisis of the 1990s. Thus, the current crisis' significance calls for some deliberate study of its perception by major “third sector” players: think tanks. The study covers one of the Ukrainian and Russian neighbors – Poland. The aim of the paper is twofold. First, it investigates how the crisis is covered by two of the most recognized Polish think tanks that are active in foreign policy: The Polish Institute of International Affairs (Polski Instytut Spraw Międzynarodowych, PISM) and The Centre for Eastern Studies (Ośrodek Studiow Wschodnich, OSW). Second, since external relations are typically seen as one of few resources still in state’s capacity, the question of private (i.e. non-state) actoror‘s role is investigated. The question: “How much private is legitimate in public sphere?” is relevant not only in normative sphere (freedom of association, freedom of speech, etc.) but, more importantly, in empirical one: What is the role of private actors in meeting public/private interests? Thus, the paper tries to put the issue in some conceptual framework.