Poland: From poster child to pariah
Natalia Kopytnik
Over the course of the past two years, onlookers have been confounded at the speed with which Poland, a darling of shock therapy economics and liberal institutionalization, has spiraled towards illiberal democracy. Since the 2015 parliamentary election, the country has made a dramatic political U-turn, which has hurt its diplomatic efforts and eroded goodwill as it now faces the possibility of EU sanctions.
The international press used to extol Poland as a stellar example across the board: a paradigm of democratization; the only European Union member to avoid a recession during the financial crisis; an advocate for Ukraines EU ambitions; a diplomatic buffer between the EU and Russia; a testament to the transformative power of EU money. It seemed like this nation from the Other Europe had finally arrived on the international stage.
The past two years have shown just how quickly perceptions change. The Poland of today seems increasingly like an ideologically feudal outpost, its politics once again ridden with the legacy of communism, conspiracy theories, and exclusionary discourse towards opponents. Since Polands conservative Law and Justice Party (PiS) swept the Sejm (Polish Parliament) in 2015, the countrys international reputation has been characterized by a slew of highly publicized and controversial decisions.
In January 2018, widespread international outrage erupted over legislation denouncing any suggestion that there was Polish complicity in the Holocaust. Last summer, PiS had enraged environmentalists and Eurocrats when it began a nonsensical logging campaign in the protected Białowieża Puszcza, the last remaining primeval forest on the European continent. The party also refused to support Donald Tusks (a former president from the opposition party) bid for his second term as President of the European Council. Brussels was left dumbfounded by this self-sabotage. Last spring, PiS inspired widespread revolt with its introduction of a draconian abortion bill that spurred Polish women to launch a black protest and organize a nationwide strike (the bill did not pass). Polish public media has also transformed into a government propaganda machine. And, at the very start of its tenure in government, PiS began an overhaul of the Constitutional Tribunal (CT), passing seven amendments on the functioning of the tribunal, including changes to its composition and procedures. When the CT ruled these changes unconstitutional, PiS blocked the rulings from being published, therefore preventing them from coming into effect. The governments actions are negating the CTs role as a capable oversight body and raising red flags from democracy watchdogs.
From an outsiders view, it would appear that the current government keeps digging itself deeper, allowing for little goodwill. And it needs some goodwill. Polands ability to conduct effective foreign policy is tied inevitably to its standing in the EU, and EU-Polish relations are at an all-time low. The Holocaust bill has caused a rift with Israel and other key allies (including the U.S.). If the high point of the last two years of diplomacy was securing a visit from President Trump last summer, the very theatrics of that visit only served as further embarrassment and gained little clout with Brussels. So why does this government continue down this slippery slope? Because the mantra of Jarosław Kaczyński, the de facto godfather of PiS is: Poland first, EU second.
This approach is simple, but effective (and familiar, no?). When the EU says member states need to accept migrants, Poland responds, we must protect our culture and people first. When Israel is infuriated by legislation that aims to distort history, Poland claims, we were victims, too. When Europe is aghast at draconian views of womens reproductive and LGBTQ rights, Poland purports, we protect Christian values. This mentality is in every PiS sound bite. And it has been for the past several years. PiS is placing its bets, and currently, its betting on what international media might deem as bad PR. But these actions might actually be quite effective in winning elections domestically. When the next election cycle comes around, the evidence of a Poland First approach will be readily available.
PiS is banking on political gain from rubbing salt into old wounds. Because the events which have shaped Polish memory and identity are overwhelmingly based on trauma and loss. PiS is able to tap into strong emotions for political gain with great success. How times have changed. Just 25 years ago, EU membership was the main goal of Central European governments after the fall of the Iron Curtain. This goal could only be achieved by a wholehearted dedication to abiding with the democratic principles outlined. At the time, the incentive of EU membership superseded nationalist political agendas. Though Czech President Vaclav Havel may have hailed the former Soviet satellite states post-communist transition as a return to Europe in the 1990s, it seems that modern Central European governments are now reevaluating the implications of that historic homecoming.
Central Europeans had hoped that EU membership would be their ticket to a rapid increase in economic status. Years later, not everyone has reaped these benefits as economic crises, massive emigration, and unequitable distribution of wealth created socioeconomic problems most political parties were slow to acknowledge. EU integration was supposed to level the playing fieldinstead, it seems to have exposed the fissures hiding behind its shiny faade.
Holocaust bill, the domestic debate over Polish historical memory will serve to question the patriotism and loyalty of critics. Furthermore, the outcry from Brussels (over this and other legislation) only serves as further proof that the EU does not understand the countrys history or respect its sovereignty. As historian Timothy Garton Ash points out, PiS came to power on the shoulders of Poland B: the Poles in small towns and poorer regions who felt alienated by social liberalism, on issues such as abortion, gender, and sexual orientation, which came with the opening to Western Europe.[1] To PiS and its supporters, Poland is the last bastion of Christianity in Europe, rebelling heroically against the immorality of its Western neighbors.
The writer is the Communications Coordinator at FPRI
