Don't Take Poland for Granted

The Washington Post ^ | Wednesday, March 21, 2007 | Radek Sikorski

[Enduring Freedom]

i've never taken poland for granted

for the jokes alone, how could you?

[A. Pole]

Bump

[spikeytx86]

I do believe we neglect and take for granted east Europe far too much. Our friends in the former captive states are our true allies, not like most of the sniveling appeasers in west Europe and we need to start treating them as our top allies and friends.

That said, I hope Poland and the other states never forget despite how much gravy is sent their way by the E.U., that it is the United States principally with them against the tyrants who held them captive, it is us who guarantee their security from the bear still to this day. It is Europe, who to save there own skins found it better to appease the soviets then to provoke them over such pesky things as holding tens of millions of people hostage.

[SampleMan]

Or it could provoke a spiral of misunderstanding, weaken NATO, deepen Russian paranoia

B.S. Russian paranoia is a myth. All through the Cold War the left harped that we were forcing the Soviets to respond, that they were terrified that the West was going to invade. Indeed, the Soviets themselves did what they could to promote this view.

Yet, when the wall fell, there was a small window of openness when we got to see all of the Soviet military's war plans. Not a single plan was predicated on the threat of a NATO invasion.

[Cicero]

Poland has always been in between a rock and a hard place. During the Second World War, they were divided between Stalin and Hitler and then fought over by brutal Communists and Nazis. But it goes back a lot further than that, as the novels of Henryk Sienkiewicz suggest. Not to mention the Teutonic Knights and the Tartars.

I can only presume that the governments of the United States and Poland thoroughly discussed the placement of defensive missiles in Poland before any announcement was made, and that the Polish government anticipated what Putin's reaction would be.

I imagine that Poland wants to be allied militarily with the United States, since the EU is a pretty weak reed. There's no easy solution for Poland, but they certainly can't afford just to sit back and wring their hands, like the editors of the Washington Post. They are right in the middle of things.

[Longinus]

Poland's alliance with the British and French did not save it from German invasion and the war that invasion started did not liberate Poland in the end.

I see no benefit in Poland provoking Russia because she thinks NATO will back her up. I am not too sure Americans want to fight over Polish rights to sell beef in Russia or to stop Russia bypassing Poland in building a gas pipeline to Germany.

[Longinus]

Poland's alliance with the British and French did not save it from German invasion and the war that invasion started did not liberate Poland in the end.

I see no benefit in Poland provoking Russia because she thinks NATO will back her up. I am not too sure Americans want to fight over Polish rights to sell beef in Russia or to stop Russia bypassing Poland in building a gas pipeline to Germany.

[Longinus]

Oops -sorry for double post.

[Basheva]

I would never take pierogies for granted - ever.

Poland's political existence has always been a balancing act between the reigning powers of the day.

This missle defense system - is it aimed at Iran?

The real solution to that problem is to take out the missles.

Probably cheaper in the long run.

[Longinus]

This missle defense system - is it aimed at Iran?

Of course not. If it were they would be based in Turkey or Bulgaria even.

[Centurion2000]

I would never take pierogies for granted - ever.

Nor polska kielbasa.

[Verdelet]

>>Poland's political existence has always been a balancing act between the reigning powers of the day. <<
not always, only since the end of 18 th century

[Feldkurat_Katz]

Sikorski's article was written shortly after Angela Merkel's meeting with Kaczynski and is clearly targeted for both American and Polish audiences. Sikorski encourages others to ask "what have you done for me lately?".

[SampleMan]

Sorry, but it's simply not true. Till mid 90's at least 2 years service in polish army was obligatory to all male citizens. Defensive strategy in case of NATO's aggression was widely exercised in Polish People Army. .

The war plans of the USSR were not defensive. The fact that you were told as a conscript that you were serving in order to protect your homeland is hardly surprising.

As Poles, Czechs, Hungarians, etc. were not trusted by the Russians, you were to be the cannon fodder.

Also in the Soviet war plans was the use of tactical nuclear weapons to kick things off on day one.

[Rummenigge]

Lol - sounds like italian for me.

Hey - however good your restaurant goes luigi - remember it is us who protect you from evil. You don't want your little daughter getting hurt, do you ?

Now this has always been a good base for business in america and sicilly.

[Rummenigge]

What an earth would giver poland the right to have a gas pipeline payed by the germans and filled by the russians to pass their country ?

The right to earn money wihtout performance ?