The Politics and Policy of U.S. Bases in Poland: A Political-Military Analysis

Abstract

This thesis addresses Polish-American bilateral relations in the past and present, with special concern for contemporary armament issues. The thesis is based upon the author's experience in the U.S. Embassy, Warsaw, as well as scholarly analysis. Together with NATO allies, the United States has begun the fielding of an antimissile defense system directed against Iran. By dint of politics and geography, the Republic of Poland's status as one of the United States' closest allies put it at the forefront of the candidates to host the interceptor portion of the system. In addition to the U.S. antimissile installation, the Polish government wants significant U.S. forces stationed in Poland as a symbol of collective defense. As in other cases of the politics of forward defense in NATO in the past and present, the Poles desire an unshakable commitment to forward defense at a time of strategic retrenchment and shifts in the international system. The modifications of the plans for the proposed bases were caused by changes in leadership in both the United States and Poland, and in declining U.S. military and NATO budgets. In addition, there have been increasing concerns about the missile defense system from Poland, Russia, and other European countries. This thesis will address the impact of the proposed military bases in the Republic of Poland. Despite the assurances of the U.S. government about the benefits of this system and its purely defensive capabilities, many Polish politicians and citizens question the need for U.S. bases in their country. The politics of such bases in Polish domestic and international debate provide a fertile area for inquiry, as does an analysis of leading Polish parties, press, and National Security documents concerned with national defense.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2012
Accession Number
ADA574672

Entities

People

  • Marek Strosin

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Human Systems
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Defense Systems
  • Geography
  • Governments
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • Military Personnel
  • Military Science
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Nato
  • Political Systems
  • Recreation
  • Treaties
  • United States
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP).
  • Systems Analysis and Design