ABSTRACT
The war in Ukraine has put Poland back into its historical geopolitical dilemma as a state in an unstable security environment and lacking meaningful natural borders to hamper a large-scale conventional invasion. Russia’s aggressive posture is successfully preventing Poland from becoming an outward-looking actor, but it also makes Poland more central to the Western alliance. As Poland approaches its twentieth anniversary as a member of NATO, the sense of insecurity at the Alliance’s eastern flank is growing. Poland should make a greater effort to acquire front line state capabilities and position its forces along its eastern border. Poland’s security policy rests first and foremost on NATO and Warsaw’s close relationship with the US. As Poland joined NATO in 1999, the Alliance was embarking on its first-ever intervention in Kosovo. Since then, NATO has concentrated on redefining its role beyond collective defence.
