In October 2015, the Law and Justice party (PiS) swept the elections and ushered in a new administration. The party promised a new era in which Poland would “rise from its knees” and assert its national interests. While a great deal of attention has been directed at Poland’s controversial domestic reforms, this analysis takes stock of Poland’s foreign policy priorities and its relations with the United States, NATO, the European Union (EU), and the Visegrád group, as well as the role that Polish public opinion has played in shaping the government’s priorities.
CEPA 2018 Title VIII CEE Area Studies Fellow, Ela Rossmiller, addresses the importance that the current government places on NATO, the Polish-U.S. security alliance, European Union (EU) membership and reform, and the Visegrád group by drawing on official opensource government documents, policy analyses published by independent think tanks in Poland, public opinion polls, and semi-structured interviews with experts.
