The Newest Power in Europe: The Rise of Poland
Taylor Fountain
January 11th. 2024
From genocide to oppression, Russian to German to Soviet, one thing is clear: the 20th century was not kind to Poles. In many ways, they were simply a victim of their geography, doomed to be trapped between two major powers on either side of them, the iterations of the Germans to the West and the Russians to the East. As such, the land known as Poland has always been strategically crucial as an essential buffer state between the East and the West, never in control of their destiny, yet imperative in global affairs, nonetheless.
However, in the early 90s, everything changed. The Germans had joined the Western military alliance, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), while their Soviet puppeteers had fallen in on themselves; with the Soviets gone and the Germans no longer a threat, Poland was the safest it had been in well over a century. A little over a decade later, the Poles joined NATO, effectively switching sides against the Russians. It appeared the Poles had made their decisions; they wanted to be part of the West. The integration did not stop with their NATO accession as they joined the European Union (E.U), leading to immense economic growth over recent decades. In this time of global development and European/Western integration, Poland became a rising power; however, it remained far behind its German, French, Italian, and British counterparts.
Moreover, the Poles faced constant military escalation from an increasingly aggressive Putin-led Russian Federation finding its footing after the collapse of the Soviet Union. As such, the Poles were torn between two starkly different political realities, the developing nations of Western Europe and the militaristic and increasingly nationalistic Russia; they were bound and thus had to play both roles. Poland was in an identity crisis. During this time, Poland went through increasingly nationalistic and divisive domestic politics, culminating in the Alt-Right Law and Justice taking power. For Poland to survive in a neighbourhood of powerful nations, they needed to remain unified and strong to stand a chance; it appeared this might not occur. However, in early 2022, Poland was sent on a completely new and imperatively critical path.
The War in Ukraine, or better put, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, served as a substantial wake-up call for the Poles. Here, their former occupiers were on the warpath once again by actively invading one of Poland’s neighbours. Moreover, the Russians made it abundantly clear that Eastern European nations would be following; whether it was a bluff or not, Poland considered the threat immensely serious. Before the war, the Poles were one of few countries that met NATO’s requirement for military expenditures of at least two percent of GDP. Hence, they were one of a select few nations that could supply the Ukrainian army in the initial stages of the war. In many ways, the Poles were one of the leaders in coordinating the collective NATO response, serving as a crucial supply hub in which armed supplies from across Europe and the wider world could be organized and subsequently trucked across the Ukrainian border. The Poles themselves also took substantial steps to support the Ukrainians. Poland has accepted the highest number of Ukrainian refugees, with a total number well surpassing one and a half million people; crucially, Poland accepted nearly 675 thousand refugees in the first month of the war; once again, the Poles took a leading role in coordinating the European response to the largest refugee crisis seen on the continent since the Second World War. Poland has also consistently been one of the most prominent financial backers of the Ukrainians since the beginning of the war, being ranked eighth worldwide for financial commitments and eleventh for humanitarian obligations; note that this does not account for percentage of GDP, merely gross total, in this respect, the Poles outperform the French, Turks, Spanish and Italians, all of which have more prominent and more capable financial and military institutions.
Moreover, the Polish army saw an enormous rearmament program which sought to increase GDP spending on the military to surpass 4%, proportionally more than even the United States. This program would immediately open funds for the Poles to purchase more high-tech weaponry, which they could expand their supplies with while continuing to supply the Ukrainians. The Poles have purchased over 300 ultra-modern U.S. Abrams main battle tanks and nearly one thousand South Korean K2 tanks. Furthermore, Poland has invested in improving their air defence capabilities by acquiring more Patriot air defence systems and hundreds of HIMARS rocket launchers. Finally, Poland has eagerly sought to join the F-35 program to add fifth-generation fighter jets to their arsenal; at this point, they have bought 32.
According to U.S. Ambassador Paul Jones, this enormous feat has enabled the Poles to become “… the continent’s most capable land force, and the anchor of the European Union/NATO’s Eastern flank…”. Although decades of relative peace have befallen the European continent, this long-held peace is no longer the case. With the Brits losing influence, the French floundering, and the Germans toeing the line, the Poles emerged as the newest power in Europe and a combative force strictly designed to combat Russian aggression. Poland will likely continue to grow their influence as their population swells, its military grows, and its economy flourishes. Long have the Poles been the victim of their circumstance, routinely victimized by their neighbours. Finally, the Poles are acting against these seemingly impossible circumstances. Clearly, Poland is willing to fight for their place in the world, and it appears they are here to stay.