Poland as a Player in the Middle East in the First Two Decades of the 20th Century. Selected Military and Non-Military Dilemmas


Abstrakt

This article aims to show that Poland’s foreign policy towards the Middle East is important, although not a priority in the pursuit of its interests. However, the significance of the Middle East in the Polish raison d’État has been increasing continuously and this trend will continue. Dilemmas related to the issue of military involvement in the region were among the most important for the Polish ruling class over the last three decades. Of equal importance were implications of the Arab Spring, the refugee crisis and the threats of lone wolf terrorist attacks. Also problematic was the position of Polish authorities regarding Iran, or rather the dilemmas connected with unthinking support for the United States in this matter, and the simultaneous cooling of relations with Tehran and the European Union’s states. The policy towards the Middle East is a derivative of the Euro-Atlantic direction, which has been a matter of priority to Poland. Presenting Poland as a loyal ally as regards policy towards the Middle East is an outcome of Polish elites’ endeavours to ensure security in Poland by strengthening the alliance with the USA and NATO, which are to constitute a security provider against the neo-imperial policy of Russia.


Alkaff S.H., Evolving Jihadist Landscape In The Middle East, „Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses” 2019, no. 11, pp. 76–79.

Almond M., The Arab Spring – Contemporary Revolutions in Historical Comparison, „All Azimuth” 2012, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 41–43.

Amin S., The Reawakening of the Arab World. Challenge and Change in the Aftermath of the Arab Spring, Monthly Review Press, New York 2016.

Black I., A Guide to Middle East Politics in 2014, „The Guardian” [online], August 4, 2014, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/04/-sp-middle-east-politics-2014-egypt-syria-palestine-iraq-gaza [accessed: 26.05.2022].

Bradshaw M., T. Van de Graaf, R. Conolly, Preparing for the New World Order? Saudi Arabia and Russia, „Energy Strategy Reviews” 2019, vol. 16, pp. 4–7.

Brownlee J., T. Masoud, A. Reynolds, The Arab Spring. Pathways of Repression and Reform, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2015.

Buckland N., A Guide to Investing in the Middle East, https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2018/02/240060/investing-middle-east-risks-benefits/ [accessed: 10.07.2022].

Byman D., Al Qaeda, the Islamic State, and the Global Jihadist Movement. What Everyone needs to know, Oxford University Press, Oxford – New York 2015.

Del Sarto R.A., H. Malmvig, E. Soler, Interregnum: The Regional Order In The Middle East And North Africa After 2011, „MENARA Final Reports” 2019, no. 1, pp. 35–36.

El-Hussari I.A., Yet Another Version of the „Arab Spring”. Ramifications of the Syrian Armed Conflict for the Existing Arab Order and Beyond, „Central European Journal of International and Security Studies” 2014, no. 3, pp. 136–145.

Freeman Jr Ch.W., Suleimani’s Extrajudicial Killing Legitimizes Assassination as a Foreign Policy Tool, Middle East Policy Council, https://mepc.org/speeches/suleimanis-extrajudicial-killing-legitimizes-assassination-foreign-policy-tool [accessed: 27.08.2022].

Gerges F.A., A History ISIS, Princeton University Press, Princeton – Oxford 2016.

Grojean O., The Kurdish Question in the Middle East: Regional Dynamics and Return to National Control”, „Mediterranean Yearbook” 2018, pp. 265–268.

Holtman P., Terrorism and Jihad: Differences and Similarities, „Perspectives on Terrorism” 2014, no. 8, pp. 140–143.

Lakomy M., The Evolution Of Cyber Jihad: From Al-Qaeda to the Islamic State, „Політичні науки” 2017, no. 13, pp. 3–15.

Lasoń M., Zaangażowanie Polski w operacje zarządzania kryzysowego NATO. Stan obecny i perspektywy, „Krakowskie Studia Międzynarodowe” 2013, no. 4, p. 118.

Lesch D.W., Syria. The Fall of the House of Assad, Yale University Press, New Haven – London 2013.

Lizak W., J. Spyra, Azja, Bliski Wschód, Afryka i Ameryka Łacińska w polityce zagranicznej RP, in: Polityka zagraniczna RP 1989–2002, ed. R. Kuźniar, K. Szczepanik, Askon, Warszawa 2006.

Mabon S., Saudi Arabia and Iran. Power and Rivalry in the Middle East, I.B. Tauris, London – New York 2018.

Malone D.M., The International Struggle over Iraq. Politics in the UN Security Council 1980–2005, Oxford University Press, New York 2006.

Osman T., A History of Political Islam from the Fall of the Ottoman Empire to the Rise of ISIS, Yale University Press, New Haven – London 2017.

Özalp O.N., Where is the Middle East? The Definition and Classification Problem of the Middle East as a Regional Subsystem in International Relations, „Turkish Journal of Politics” 2011, no. 2, pp. 5–19.

Pratt D., Islamophobia as Reactive Co-Radicalization, „Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations” 2015, no. 26, pp. 11–12.

Rapoport D.C., The Four Waves of Modern Terrorism, in: Attacking Terrorism: Elements of a Grand Strategy, ed. A.A. Stigler, A.K. Cronin, J.M. Ludes, Georgetown University Press, Washington DC 2004.

Stavridis S., EU Incoherence and Inconsistency over Libya: Evidence to the Contrary, „Cahiers de la Méditerranée” 2014, no. 89, pp. 163–173.

Vatanka A., The Killing of Qassem Soleimani: Analysis from MEI Experts, https://www.mei.edu/blog/killing-qassem-soleimani-analysis-mei-experts [accessed: 15.10.2020].

Zając J., Poland’s Security Policy. The West, Russia, and the Changing International Order, Palgrave Macmillan, London 2016.


Opublikowane : 2023-07-20


Czornik, K. (2023). Poland as a Player in the Middle East in the First Two Decades of the 20th Century. Selected Military and Non-Military Dilemmas. Studia Polityczne, 51(2), 151-178. https://doi.org/10.35757/STP.2023.51.2.02

Katarzyna Czornik  katarzyna.czornik@us.edu.pl
Instytut Nauk Politycznych Uniwersytetu Śląskiego w Katowicach  Polska
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9388-9467