Польский взгляд на проблемы региональной безопасности: выводы для Республики Беларусь

Abstract

The Cold War over, the regional security problems are becoming very acute. The international system has undergone considerable changes towards its decentralization. This fact was reflected in the so-called "security dilemma", meaning the interaction between security policy steps made by one country and the way other countries perceive such steps. But the development of contemporary international relations in characterized by growing interdependence of actors in international communication. Any particular country cannot cope on its own with the threats which are now of economic, political, social and ecological dimensions. That is why its national security is a function of international relations as a whole. A regional actor can hardly function properly, develop or even exist without regional cooperation. This cooperation could become the ground for overcoming the "security dilemma" because it provides not only a balance of interests but also a balance of values of different participants. Due to historical and psychological reasons Poland is longing for its security to be guaranteed by NATO and the EU. Transferring a part of its national competence to these institutions Poland makes itself a conductor of interests of stronger allies. Restrictions imposed by Brussels on Poland's entering the EU confirm that fact. In case "the Belgian curtain" drops, the Belarusian-Polish border will become not only an interstate division line, but also a line which divides two civilizational areas with different interests and values. This may become the cause of regional instability, which certainly does not lie in Poland's national interests. Eastern Europe is facing the need for the security mechanism to be strengthened. Being an indicator of stability in the region, Belarus will play an essential role in the process of emergence of security environment in Europe. It is essential for Belarus to play a more active part in regional cooperation, so that it might realize and pursue its national interests.