Speaking Inquiries

Tradition of Despotism and Autocracy comes from Tatar/Mongol Occupation. Absolute rulers, called “tsars”. Released from Tatar Mongol Yoke in 1480 and sought to reunite the lands of the Medieval “Rus”, comprising the modern states of Belarus and Ukraine, that collapsed in the 13th century Moscow was on a flat plain with enemies Poland and Lithuania to the West and Tatars to the South and East so they sought expansion for protection Russia successfully expanded with brutal tactics, via forced assimilation, for centuries, reaching all the way to the Pacific Ocean and Alaska Russia became the dominant power in the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea by the reign of Catherine the Great with the liquidation of the Crimean Khanate and Polish Commonwealth Deep-seated fear of foreign encirclement, along with undefined natural and ethnic borders, has given Russia a defensive mindset prone to lashing out abroad Russia feels entitled to a buffer zone in Eastern Europe due to repeated invasions (i.e., Napoleon and Hitler) through Poland and Ukraine Losing the USSR and the subsequent expansion of NATO was traumatic for Vladimir Putin personally and many other Russians- contributed to insecurity Moscow has since 1991 used various mechanisms and organizations to harmonize and integrate the former Soviet Union in the economic and security spheres Ukraine was the most prominent former Republic to resist these appeals, with repeated rebellions there against Russian influence Russia seeks to reorient the world away from traditional US and Western led structures and towards so-called “multipolarity” Putin envisions a world with three major centers of power- Moscow, Washington, and Beijing. An independent Ukraine remains a threat to Putin’s legitimacy to rule Russia, hence why he invaded. There was no urgent security threat from Ukraine to Russia.

Polish history begins with the conversion to Christianity from Paganism in the 10th century. Polish political tradition is completely the opposite of Russian- values of individual freedom and equality and resistance to centralization Poland-Lithuania established itself as the dominant power in Eastern Europe with the defeat of the Teutons at the Battle of Grunwald in 1410 Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth was, during its peak, Europe’s most democratic and tolerant society- including for Jews. Poland developed a unique system in 1572 of an elected monarchy among nobles rather than a hereditary dynasty. Many kings were not even Polish. The commonwealth’s Eastern borders roughly coincided with the boundaries of Belarus and Ukraine Commonwealth began to decline in the mid-17th century with the Cossack Uprising of 1648 and the Swedish invasion of 1655 Massive corruption among the nobility, to the point where anyone could become a noble and buy a seat in the parliament, lead to terminal decline by the 18th century. The constitution of 1791, the world’s second after the USA, meets resistance among corrupt nobles and the commonwealth is doomed Poland was partitioned and ultimately liquidated by 1795 between the three empires of Russia, Prussia, and Austria. Poland endures systematic Germanization and Russification throughout the 19th century, with the Polish language and culture systematically removed from education and public life Rebellions are common, particularly in the Russian partition, where most of the old commonwealth was located Poland regains independence in 1918 following the collapse of the old empires. The new nation struggles with a plethora of difficulties, ultimately succumbing to the Nazi-Soviet pact and invasion of 1939 and subsequent brutal occupation. Poland is occupied by the Red Army in 1944 and forced to adopt a Stalinist regime, against the wishes of the Polish people The Polish People’s Republic suffers from regular shortages of basic goods and a lack of political legitimacy. Again, protests and rebellions are common. Socialist Regime ends in 1990, followed by rapid and painful economic adjustment, but culminating in growth and recovery Now Poland is a critical member of all Western organizations, a product of successful transformation and integration

Belief in self-reliance- Poland was repeatedly betrayed by its Western allies and forced to endure German and Russian crackdowns with no outside help Poland seeks its own buffer zone to the East- hence why Poland supports Ukraine Poland is reluctant to allow Ukraine into the European Union due to fears of a flood of cheap products undermining Polish companies and farmers Poland sees the United States, not Western Europe, as its critical ally to protect against its main enemy- Russia Poland seeks close economic integration (with the exception listed above) with the countries in Eastern Europe in between Germany and Russia This is called the “Three Seas Initiative”, which promotes infrastructure projects in the region for economic growth and regional security Poland is NATO’s highest defense spender, thanks to the trauma of foreign occupation Poland seeks to be seen as an international player on par with the (albeit declining) powers of Western Europe

Occupied by the Ottomans between 14th and 19th centuries. Ottomans used “divide and rule” tactics between Christian and Muslim populations, entrenching distrust Ottoman empire declined by the 19th century, leading to the newfound independence of several states in the region These rivalries culminated in the assassination of the Austrian crown prince by a Serbian activist in 1914 Southern Slavs were united after WW1 under the Kingdom of Yugoslavia After further bloodshed in WW2, Yugoslavia was reformed again as a Socialist State under Josep Tito where all ethnic identities were suppressed Age-old rivalries resurfaced again after Tito’s death in 1980, and Serbian nationalists took control of the Yugoslav state Other groups seceded, culminating in the final breakup of Yugoslavia in 1995 following years of mayhem and genocide against Bosnian Muslims Peace treaty established a Fragile federation of Bosnia and Hercegovina, with power sharing between Orthodox Serbs, Muslims, and Catholic Croatians Serbia still claims Kosovo, an Albanian-inhabited region filled with Serbian cultural icons and treasures since Kosovo declared independence in 2008 Serbian officials repeatedly accuse Kosovo of discrimination against Serbs, threatening military intervention despite the current NATO peacekeeping mission (KFOR) Bosnia remains tense and dysfunctional, with Serbs repeatedly threatening secession and denying that any genocide occurred at all