Poland Wants to Be a Partner to the United States
Poland believes that it is a loyal and reliable partner of the United States and wants to strengthen what it considers to be a strategic partnership with the US. Polish officials emphasized that Poland has historically looked to the US as the leader of the democratic world and America can, therefore, count on Polish support in the future. There is a long history of US support for Polish democracy, including during the Solidarity movement of the 1980s, and there continues to be a reservoir of good feelings between the two nations. A 2005 Pew Research poll, for example, cited Poland as one of only four nations whose population expresses favorable feelings towards America. The one issue where this is not the case is the war in Iraq. Poland’s involvement in Iraq has created a disconnect between the Polish public and the government, with 70% of the population opposed to the conflict, according to the Polish Institute of Public Affairs.
Throughout our discussions, Polish officials expressed their desire for a strategic partnership with the US. They argued that Poland can offer more than just assistance in Iraq. In addition to serving as a bridge with the EU, and providing guidance on US policies towards Poland’s eastern neighbors, Polish leaders stressed that the close US-Polish relationship enables them to offer frank advice on how the US should respond to international crises.
