How Poland Promotes Democracy

This article examines the democracy promotion efforts of a new Eastern EU democracy and a regional leader in the post-communist world—Poland. Polish democracy promotion has its origin in the international solidarity tradition of the anticommunist opposition movement in the country. However, Poland has made concerted, if at times inconsistent, efforts to support the democratization of its eastern neighbors, primarily because such support is understood to be a central element of a geopolitical security strategy to deter a resurgent Russia. And while Poland has already made some difference by helping secure some democratization gains in Ukraine, Poland's efforts in autocratic Belarus have been rather unsuccessful.