Republican think tank Hudson Institute, addressed the current situation in Poland trying to answer the question of what democracy should actually be in the 21st century. It was about acceptable democratic behaviour and how far transnational bodies could intervene, specified as the European Commission in relation to another EU countries.
Conservative think tank He prepared a study entitled When Democrats Government Undemocraticly: The Case of Poland [“When Democrats regulation undemocraticly: a case of Poland”]. Its authors Matthew Boyse, erstwhile Assistant Secretary of State of the United States from 2018 to 2021 and Peter Doran, associated with The Foundation for defence from the Democrats point to a possible weakening of Poland's alliance with the United States due to the disregard of the regulation of law by the current ruling team.
Analysts criticized the coalition government led by Donald Tusk, subjecting the political rivalry of major parties in Poland to a more nuanced assessment. They felt it was time to end political vendetta, due to the fact that it harms not only Poland, but besides Polish-American relations. And Warsaw has a key function to play in east Europe, stopping not only Russian influences, but besides Chinese and even Iranian.
The conflict between the ruling squad and the opposition is more personalized and "unpleasant," said the report's authors during a discussion held at the Hudson Institute, led by Jim Carafano of the Heritage Foundation.
Abstaining from the individual animosity of politicians, they pointed out that the example of organization and EU fighting about what it means to be a democracy in the 21st century is much more crucial in the context of the United States' relation with its allies. The function of friends is to inform about disturbing issues. Poland, in turn, should have good relations with the US as a “proud” country. However, in the current situation, erstwhile there are 2 different visions of democracy, the effort to destruct the conservative opposition (the organization on this profile must always exist) will have implications in the form of undermining the Polish-American alliance.
Experts pointed out that the government of erstwhile US president Joe Biden along with the European Commission and most of the major media "indiscriminately accepted the communicative [of Polish Prime Minister Donald] Tusk and accepted his rhetoric".
Among another things, the European Commission's tremendous influence has been criticised, which controls the judicial strategy in another countries and selectively addresses the issue of the explanation and infringement of the regulation of law.
The issue of Poland is of peculiar importance and raises crucial questions concerning the explanation of the EC, which is democracy, the degree of its control over the judicial systems of another associate States and the primacy of EU law over national laws, including constitutions.
Experts Think tank pointed out the selective attack of the regulation of law under the Polish Conservative Opposition (PiS). Brussels punished Warsaw, while ignoring akin "burdens" in another countries.
It was considered to be an exaggerated thesis of the alleged "fall of Polish democracy" during the regulation of the Law and Justice, given that there was a smooth transfer of power after the parliamentary elections in 2023.
It was added that “since taking office, the Government of Tusk has taken dubious steps under suspicion restoring democracy"of which many are very akin to those accused by the Law and Justice Government."
The Tusk squad "since taking office in December 2023" "launched a run to fight law and criminalise political differences to guarantee that the Law and Justice Office will never again pose a serious challenge to its power".
A number of scandalous actions taken by the current squad were noted, including cutting backing for the Law and Justice, directing indictments, and arresting officials of the erstwhile government to force evidence and make fear. There have been “cleanses” of ambassadors and prosecutors appointed during the PiS office.
It was besides pointed out that the ‘central-left’ government refused to recognise the judgments of the courts, challenged the rightfulness of the judges who did not like them and attempted to remove them from the judiciary.
The analysts did not miss Tusk's unfavorable attitude towards Trump. Criticism of the current American administration, as well as attempts to destruct the opposition PiS by Prime Minister Tusk can, according to Hudson Institute experts, strain Polish-American ties. Especially since the erstwhile White home administration built good relations with the PiS and president Andrzej Duda.
"The further attempts by the Tusk government to destruct the Law and Justice will be noticed, which could consequence in the failure of influence in Washington to the detriment of national interests and prestige of Poland, as well as bilateral relations", the study suggested, pointing out that Warsaw needs an alliance with the United States, and the Law and Justice organization played an crucial function in strengthening it.
"Poland has a strong opposition and the PiS represents a very large part of the electorate, which supports the national safety objectives of the country and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation in times of unprecedented challenges to the European order of safety and the intensifying competition of the large powers," it wrote.
The study and the discussion around it is simply a informing directed by Polish sympathizers to representatives of “a fighting democracy” – “democrats who regulation undemocraticly”. It was considered shocking to take over public media force, only a fewer days after the current coalition took power in 2023, to remove journalists, producers and publishers of information from their posts, to halt broadcasting tv for a time, to destruct news archives, etc. another outrageous actions are the usage of government to destruct political opponents.
The report's authors pointed out that Tusk's squad conducted a run akin to the Biden – Harris administration, attacking "right extremists", accusing the ruling "authoritarianism". These accusations duplicated the mainstream media in the West. They did not bother to see if it was truly possible to talk about authoritarian governments in Poland. Any available indicators on the state of democracy have said otherwise. Nevertheless, today's coalition has started a process of combating the then governments and "restore democracy", reaching for illegal action. Panel participants on the study wondered why specified a thing happened in Poland.
They pointed out that the centre has its own definition of democracy; a definition that differs from the classical concept. It is voiced: those who disagree with our views are not democrats.
In Poland, the issue of revenge is highly exposed, individual vendettawhich must end due to the fact that Warsaw is simply a critical ally of the United States.
Hudson Institute is think tank focusing characters on Republican views. It was created in 1961. His main experts included, among others, erstwhile British minister Tom Tugendhat and ex-ambassador USA at the UN Nikki Haley, a presidential candidate in the last Republican primaries. The organisation's mission is to address a policy that is dedicated to "the global leadership of the United States in cooperation with allies for a safe, free and prosperous future".
Against “mist globalisation” and for the democracy of national states
HI has dealt with issues of Polish politics more than once. In June 2018. think tank organised a debate on Poland, NATO and the future of the safety of east Europe. The discussion was chaired by Kenneth Weinstein, president and CEO of the Hudson Institute.
The panel was attended by: Anna Maria Anders, Polish Secretary of State for global Dialogue, Andrew Roberts, “one of the top surviving historians of our time” – as it was presented – known for “the superb works on Napoleon, Churchill and Hitler”, John Fonte, elder worker of Hudson and Walter Russell Mead, commentator of American abroad policy.
President Trump's speech was praised in Warsaw as 1 of the best in history. There was besides talk of a large US sympathy for our country, which had to constantly fight for freedom due to its geopolitical position
Roberts recalled statistic that he felt "that explain so much about Polish psychology and assumptions in planet affairs and geopolitics". The point is that during planet War II the Italians lost 1.1 percent of their population, the French – 1.9, Germany – 8.8, British – 0.9, Americans – 0.3, and Poles lost 17.2 percent of their own population. And not only due to the German invasion, but besides due to the russian invasion. Tragic events related to partitions, battles about regaining independence, events of the First and Second planet War, murdering about 20,000 Polish officers in Katyń Forest, Warsaw Uprising and subsequent communist governments – all of these are dramatic events in the past of Poland.
However, despite these and many "terrifying adversities", Poles proved to be an extraordinary leader. Although they are "imprisoned in a tragic geographical position", this has its implications.
John Fonte recalled Trump's speech during his visit to Warsaw. According to the late Charles Krauthamer, it was “the best speech always made by the American president, who, as the editors of The Wall Street diary commented, presented a “clear stance against vague globalism and obscure multiculturalism represented by worldview, say, Barack Obama and most modern Western intellectuals.”
It was expected to answer the question, “What is the West?” and ended with the words, “Our freedom, our civilization and our endurance depend on historical bonds, culture and memory.” Therefore, as Fonte mentioned, “we should fight like Poles for family, for freedom, for country and for God.” He added that “the Western concept outlined in Warsaw is more inclusive than the limited, post-national, culturally barren, comparatively secular West presented by others. Trump's version includes Christianity and Judaism and classical Greek-Roman heritage, as well as enlightenment and modernity. So it's not just enlightenment; it's enlightenment plus. For Trump and Law and Justice [Polish political party] The West and Europe did not start with the 1957 Treaty of Rome – that is, the European community. Jerusalem is as central to the West as Brussels. Both the Trump administration and the Law and Justice government have repeatedly emphasised 1 very basic rule of enlightenment: the regulation of governance with the consent of the governed, or democratic sovereignty. Sovereignty becomes an crucial problem in planet politics of the 21st century due to the fact that it faces mass migration."
He besides pointed out that "there is simply a dispute in the EU between those who advocate national democracy, specified as Margaret Thatcher and Charles de Gaulle, and those who want more centralised power in Brussels".
The author besides explained that "the US and Poland are on the same side on most issues. Poland is clearly not a friend of Putin or Russian machinations. Assistant Secretary of State Wess Mitchell noted that Poland is an crucial ally, as the country of the first line. It is on key rimland Europe and Eurasia v. Russia's revisionist power". He added that "on the economical front Poland is 1 of the most attractive European countries for abroad investments", and "the leading presidents do not worry about the regulation of law in Poland".
He besides referred to the Polish judicial strategy established during the circular table in 1989, adding that the erstwhile communists had a disproportionate influence on the establishment of this system, accusing them of nepotism and comotivity. Brussels did not intervene erstwhile the strategy favoured erstwhile communists. The sound rose as the Law and Justice began to change the strategy of "undemocratic judicial oligarchy" and to make changes in media dominated by the left.
The 2018 panel participants highlighted the crucial issue of the rebirth of "democratic sovereignty" and the return to conventional values. Roberts stressed that "Europe is more than the European Union. This is something that Poles realize and that the British understand, but bureaucracy in Brussels does not understand. There is something ancient in Europe. It reaches centuries before the European Union and will last centuries after the European Union. And it is something valuable, it is an addition to planet civilization.” It would be a cardinal mistake for us to identify and confuse Europe "with a tiny group of unelected politicians in Brussels who are trying to impose their policies on the remainder of Europe."
Fonte recalled an intellectual manifesto: "Parisional Statement: A Europe We Can Believe," signed by leading intellectuals specified as Pierre Manent, Roger Scruton and Richard Legutko. Europe is “more than Brussels, it is Athens, Rome and Jerusalem; it is the heritage of Christianity, the Hebrew Bible and so on”. The expert then added that "there is simply a revival of national democracy".
He criticised the usurpation of power by Germany, Brussels and the European Court of Justice.
The current administration, as stated by the Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a message of 22 January 2025, aims to make America safer, stronger and richer. So I will review relationships that will not service these purposes and discipline allies as it has done in the past.
The US must, on the 1 hand, halt mass migration and safe borders. On the another hand, they quit the promotion of the ideology "DEIA" (diversity, equality, inclusion and access) not only in the country but besides abroad, announcing a return to the basics of diplomacy, eliminating focus on political and cultural causes that polarize society and are profoundly unpopular abroad. So there will be no promotion of ideology gender and another cultural Marxism programmes. Finally, America wants to put a dam of censorship and suppression not only at home but besides abroad. A "total reversal from climate policy" has been announced, weakening the US.
Americans like bilateral relations, and in order to accomplish their priorities they must safe interests in different parts of the world. They do not intend to tolerate from allies behaviors that would affect their actions.
The study and discussion around it, is more crucial than only the interior political conflict in Poland, at least according to its authors. What is democracy in the 21st century? This is simply a wider problem of Western states and increasing competition among themselves as regards the imagination of Western civilization.
Sources: Hudson.org, state.gov, brusselssignal.eu
Agnieszka Stelmach
