Wielość formatów współpracy regionalnej w Europie Środkowej jako odpowiedź na wyzwania i zagrożenia
The Multiplicity of Regional Cooperation Formats in Central Europe as a Response to Challenges and Threats

Summary/Abstract: RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: The aim of the article is to identify political factors limited the building of strategic relations among the countries of Central Europe by analyzing intraregional and external circumstances that hinder more effective action in the foreign relations. RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: The research problem is the multiplicity of regional cooperation formats in the Central Europe, which do not affect the quality of bilateral and multilateral relations. The basic tools of the analysis are the decision-making and historical methods, used from the perspective of the functionalist approach. PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: The argument consists of four parts. The aim of the first is to show the political and geopolitical conditions of Central Europe after the regime changes in the region as a result of the Autumn of Nations. Next, the analyze of first ideas for building new formats of regional cooperation after the fall of the Iron Curtain. The final two parts are focused on analyzing of the Visegrad Group and the Three Seas Initiative, as two model forms of cooperation in Central Europe. RESEARCH RESULTS: The article allows to put the thesis that from the perspective of none of the Central European countries regional cooperation has never been an autonomous priority. It has always played an auxiliary role in foreign policy. CONCLUSIONS, INNOVATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS: The basic conclusion is that all formats of regional cooperation in Central Europe were a response to political challenges generated externally. On the one hand, this created great flexibility in foreign policy, but on the other hand, all these projects were tactical and not strategic in nature. The relations established in this way and the experience gained create opportunities to build more solid cooperation at the strategic level on this foundation.

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