Understanding the Mental Templates of Polish Foreign Policy

Polish foreign policy since the collapse of communism has veered between a pro-western, pro-Atlanticist orientation and a more euroskeptic, bristly nationalistic approach that seems to revive outworn political paradigms inherited from interwar Poland or even older historical traditions.  Foreign policy, as is the case with domestic political conflict, seems caught between those who want Poland to become more like its more modern neighbors to the West, and those who want to preserve a distinctively Polish identity and set of national interests.  Just what explains the “rightwing alternative” in Polish foreign policy and its attractiveness to a growing number of intellectuals and members of the policy elite?  The answer lies in Poland’s wrenching transition into the modern world and the displacement experienced by broad sections of society who are looking for scapegoats and ways to revive their sense of national pride.  Foreign policy alternatives take shape as political entrepreneurs craft narratives or conspiracy theories that speak to societal groups’ sense of social exclusion, injustice and frustrated ambition.