Essay
Abstract: In the last few month the issue of new strategic concept of NATO started to be mentioned more frequently than before in the internal debates in the Alliance, especially in speeches of Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg1. It seems to be understandable, taking into account that the current document of this kind was adopted ten years ago, in 2010, what makes him quite old and to some degree outdated. Moreover, at least in the post-Cold War period the timespan between adoptions of NATO strategic concepts was exactly a decade. Discussion on new strategic concept could be also seen as a logical consequence of the inauguration of the so called “reflection process” in December 2019, currently transformed into much wider forecast-type initiative NATO 2030. The article will focus on these debates on strategic diraction from the perspective of the V4 Group.
Keywords: NATO 2030, V4 Group, reflection process
Abstract: 2020 was beyond question an unconventional year. The “Googleized”, “Twitterized”, or “Facebookized” international politics meant myriad of interconnected processes, the global political awakening of (everyday) people, and the emergence of new power centers (eg. tech companies and the Silicon Valley). The power of the media, the social networks have given new opportunities for politicians but also have emerged as a very heavy burden. The Western World is trapped in a situation when the fig leaf of political correctness overwrites logical decisions; thus it is not surprising that 2020 became a “chicken bone” that stuck in the throat of international political analysts who could not swallow, or spit out it, consequently no reliable answers were provided regarding the challenges of 2020.
Keywords: geopolitics, foreign policy of Poland, Central Europe
Abstract: Since 2016, the state and future of transatlantic relations has never been more debated. The election of Donald Trump to the presidency of the United States has put serious questions on the durability of the transatlantic partnership and caused serious concerns on how it should be repaired and/or altered to meet the changing environment. Experts remain divided, however, on whether there was serious damage done to the transatlantic partnership as a whole. A survey of experts from the USA and Europe conducted in 2018 by Foreign Affairs found that there was a broad array of opinions as to what damage has been done. One thing is certain however, the relationship needs to be updated to reflect not only the global challenges that this alliance faces, but also the political challenges as well, which are also domestic in nature.
Keywords: Donal Trump, US foreign policy, Poland
Commentary
Abstract: The 2020 US election campaign between Democratic candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden and Republican incumbent Donald Trump has been nearly devoid of any serious foreign policy discussion. Perhaps unsurprisingly, domestic issues such as the economy, healthcare, and the pandemic response have dominated the public discourse. Yet, the contest's outcome holds significant ramifications for the future course of US foreign policy and how the US is viewed on the international stage. While the campaign rhetoric has largely left foreign policy to vague slogans and speculation, much can be gleaned about the future direction of the US, especially vis-a-vis Hungary.
Keywords: US foreign policy, Central Eastern Europe
Essay
Abstract: The Presidential elections in 2020 have created a new perspective for the United States. Is the novel democrat President going to alter the course of foreign policy? This year was indeed exceptional in the U.S. due to not only the coronavirus pandemic but also the presidential elections. According to the statistics, the United States is the most affected country globally, based on the number of coronavirus cases. After this year's turbulent elections this essay focuses on the events before the inauguration and the new President's first hurdles.
Keywords: US elections, coronavirus, Joe Biden