Poland Politics & Policy News

Get the latest news and analysis covering Poland politics, foreign policy, diplomacy, international relations, and the current issues affecting Poland. Keep up to date on topics including Poland-Ukraine relations, Poland-Russia Relations, Andrzej Duda, NATO and EU membership, and immigration.

List of Poland Politics & Policy News articles

Civic Coalition leader Donald Tusk takes the stage during an election rally in Lodz, Poland, on Oct. 10.
Civic Coalition leader Donald Tusk takes the stage during an election rally in Lodz, Poland, on Oct. 10.

There Is No Going Back to Pre-Populist Poland

Many expectations for the new government are wishful thinking or just plain wrong.

White swans walk on a frozen lake as steam and smoke rises from the Belchatow Power Station in the background on February 23, 2021 in Rogowiec, Poland.
White swans walk on a frozen lake as steam and smoke rises from the Belchatow Power Station in the background on February 23, 2021 in Rogowiec, Poland.

Poland Is Dreaming of Becoming a Nuclear Power

The country's new government has fanciful plans for energy production.

Supporters of the main opposition Civic Coalition wave Polish flags at a rally in Pruszkow, Poland, on Oct. 13.
Supporters of the main opposition Civic Coalition wave Polish flags at a rally in Pruszkow, Poland, on Oct. 13.

The Future of European Integration Hinges on Poland

In this weekend’s Polish election, more than the country’s future is on the line.

Slawomir Mentzen, leader of Poland’s Konfederacja Party points to a cardboard cutout of PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski  during a rally ahead of October’s general elections on Sept. 28, in Wroclaw, Poland.
Slawomir Mentzen, leader of Poland’s Konfederacja Party points to a cardboard cutout of PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski during a rally ahead of October’s general elections on Sept. 28, in Wroclaw, Poland.

How Konfederacja Became Poland’s Kingmaker

A far-right, anti-establishment party is already forcing a change in Warsaw’s Ukraine policy, and it will influence the next government whether it joins a coalition or stays out.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks at the press conference during a Heads of State meeting of the Visegrad group at International Congress Center on June 30, 2021 in Katowice, Poland.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks at the press conference during a Heads of State meeting of the Visegrad group at International Congress Center on June 30, 2021 in Katowice, Poland.

The EU Is Letting Hungary and Poland Erode Democracy

Brussels must take harsher measures against ruling parties in Budapest and Warsaw if it’s serious about upholding democratic norms.

Polish Prime Minister and member of the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) political party Mateusz Morawiecki waves to supporters before speaking at a PiS election rally on the last day of campaigning on October 11, 2019 in Chelm, Poland.
Polish Prime Minister and member of the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) political party Mateusz Morawiecki waves to supporters before speaking at a PiS election rally on the last day of campaigning on October 11, 2019 in Chelm, Poland.

Poland Is Throwing All Its Neighbors Under the Bus

Running for reelection, the Polish government is flailing in every direction to keep its populist credibility.

Polish President Andrzej Duda looks on as French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz chat at the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11, 2023.
Polish President Andrzej Duda looks on as French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz chat at the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11, 2023.

Biden Should Press Poland and the EU to Make Up

Warsaw’s strategic role in Europe is too important for Washington to ignore.

A worker representing migrants from Morocco speaks with Polish border guards about an asylum request in Bialowieza, Poland.
A worker representing migrants from Morocco speaks with Polish border guards about an asylum request in Bialowieza, Poland.

The Hottest Forest in the World

With Wagner troops hovering, the woods between Poland and Belarus have become kindling for a heated election campaign.

A German Navy Sea King helicopter arrives on the Germany Navy frigate Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in the Baltic Sea near Rostock, Germany, on June 5.
A German Navy Sea King helicopter arrives on the Germany Navy frigate Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in the Baltic Sea near Rostock, Germany, on June 5.

The First Job for NATO’s New Baltic Bloc

Pipelines, ports, and cables in and around the Baltic Sea are as critical as they are vulnerable.

A U.S. Bradley Fighting Vehicle is seen behind a U.S. flag during during a training session by U.S. soldiers in Nowa Deba, Poland.
A U.S. Bradley Fighting Vehicle is seen behind a U.S. flag during during a training session by U.S. soldiers in Nowa Deba, Poland.

NATO’s Got a New Backbone

It’s time for the United States to prioritize members of the alliance that understand the Russian threat and are taking it seriously.

Farmers harvest a wheat field in Ukraine's Kharkiv region on July 19, 2022,
Farmers harvest a wheat field in Ukraine's Kharkiv region on July 19, 2022,

Wheat Is the New Fault Line for Ukraine in Europe

Eastern Europe is irate over imports of Ukrainian grain. That’s by design.

Latvian President Egils Levits, Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova, U.S. President Joe Biden, Polish President Andrzej Duda, and other participants leave the podium after posing for a group photo in Warsaw.
Latvian President Egils Levits, Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova, U.S. President Joe Biden, Polish President Andrzej Duda, and other participants leave the podium after posing for a group photo in Warsaw.

Ukraine Has Shifted Europe’s East-West Fault Line

Eastern Europe is in the driver’s seat. The West should buckle up.

Jogaila and Jadwiga of Poland
Jogaila and Jadwiga of Poland

It’s Time to Bring Back the Polish-Lithuanian Union

A political construct created nearly 700 years ago offers solutions for Europe today.

A photograph is seen near the memorial commemorating the Jedwabne pogrom in Jedwabne, Poland on July 29, 2021.
A photograph is seen near the memorial commemorating the Jedwabne pogrom in Jedwabne, Poland on July 29, 2021.

How Poland Distorts Its Holocaust History

The Polish government’s ongoing war on historians documenting Poles’ complicity in massacres has led to a politically motivated distortion of the past.

Brokers talk under a stock exchange board.
Brokers talk under a stock exchange board.

Adam Tooze: How Poland Became an Economic Powerhouse

Its economy has skyrocketed since the end of communism, but so has its wealth disparity.

Ones-And-Tooze-podcast-series-1500x1000-site (1)
Ones-And-Tooze-podcast-series-1500x1000-site (1)

The Miracle of Poland

Plus: Part 3 of Adam and Cameron's special series on the economics of love.

A volunteer adjusts Polish and Ukrainian flags as refugees wait for transportation after crossing the Ukrainian-Polish border at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland, on March 9, 2022.
A volunteer adjusts Polish and Ukrainian flags as refugees wait for transportation after crossing the Ukrainian-Polish border at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland, on March 9, 2022.

How Poland and Ukraine Could Undermine Putin’s Imperial Dreams

Historically, both countries formed their national identities in defiance of Russian imperialism, and together they can defeat it today.

Aerial view taken on November 17, 2022 shows the site where a missile strike killed two men in the eastern Poland village of Przewodow, near the border with war-ravaged Ukraine on November 15, 2022.
Aerial view taken on November 17, 2022 shows the site where a missile strike killed two men in the eastern Poland village of Przewodow, near the border with war-ravaged Ukraine on November 15, 2022.

Deaths in Poland Are a Warning for Everyone

Errant missiles from Ukraine are a reminder that wars can always escalate accidentally.

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