Poland’s Accession to NATO Considering “Partnership for Peace” and the U.S. Perspective

The accession of Poland to the group of NATO member states was undoubtedly one of the milestones in the modern history of the country and in the direction of strengthening security in the international arena. The whole process was conditioned by various types of determinants: technological, organizational, political and ideological (Kupiecki, 2016). Many publications have been dedicated to Poland's accession to NATO and its later role among the allied members. Nevertheless, there is a lack of particular studies in the professional literature that presents a detailed chronology of Polish pre-accession activities and the diverse opinions of the US administration regarding the enlargement of NATO with new member states recruiting from the former Warsaw Pact. This gap in available literature was a trigger for writing this article with the purpose to present the undertakings of Poland aimed at accession to NATO in the aspect of “Partnership for Peace” and the US point of view. In the research process, two basic methods were employed: analysis and synthesis. The method of analysis was used in relation to the verification of collected literature, normative acts and documents on international security. The method of synthesis was applied for conclusions. The undertaken research on the topic proved that without consistent actions and initiatives conducted by Poland in the international area and without the support of the US, joining NATO would be highly difficult or even impossible. At the same time, a detailed analysis highlighted that the accession of Poland to NATO was and still is mutually and beneficial for Warsaw and Washington.