Poland’s Foreign Policy Transformation in the Post-Cold War Era
Poland’s Foreign Policy Transformation in the Post-Cold War Era

Summary/Abstract: This article examines Poland’s post-Cold War foreign policy transformation through the lens of neoclassical realism, focusing on its integration into Western institutions and the strategic recalibration driven by evolving global dynamics. In this context, this article hypothesizes that Poland’s post-Cold War foreign policy has been shaped not only-as the previous decades-by systemic pressures favouring Western integration, but also by domestic political dynamics which, particularly under the Law and Justice Party (PiS), later it have mediated these pressures and produced a more selective, assertive, and regionally oriented foreign policy orientation with the emerging multipolarity. Following the collapse of the bipolar order in 1991, the United States emerged as the dominant global actor, while the rise of globalization reshaped the country’s western centric international relations. In this context, Poland redefined its foreign policy objectives by prioritizing first, accession to NATO and later the European Union, and aligning itself with transatlantic security structures during second Iraq Wars. The study explores Poland’s democratization process, its engagement with international financial institutions during the transition to a market economy, and the consolidation of its new regional geopolitical position through initiatives such as the Visegrad Group and the Three Seas Initiative. Furthermore, the study examines the EU’s infectiveness in the face of economic, migration, security, Russian revisionism questions with the evolution of multipolarity of global system which all particular attention is paid to the strategic alliance with the United States and the evolution of energy security policies aimed at reducing dependence on Russia. Moreover, the article assesses the implications of populist governance under the Law and Justice Party (PiS), highlighting rising tensions with the European Union, challenges to the rule of law, and the restructuring of diplomatic institutions. Drawing on both descriptive and discursive qualitative content analysis of policy documents due to contribute more to Turkish academic literature, this study argues that while Poland’s post-Cold War foreign policy initially revolved around from transition to Western integration, however, recent years have witnessed a shift to diversity toward assertive regionalism and selective trans-Atlanticism shaped by domestic political change.

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