Polish Involvement in Stabilizing Iraq Grows by Sean OíDriscoll In many ways, Polish Ambassador Przemyslaw Grudzinski represents his countryís dramatic political development over the past 20 years. A former activist in the Solidarity movement, he is one of a generation of post-Soviet politicians who has helped transform Poland into a modern European nation. In the huge rush to establish a stable government after the fall of communism, Grudzinski found himself ìout of the blueî becoming his nationís deputy defense minister and later its U.S. ambassador. His experience in these two posts would prove very useful during Polandís next phase of developmentóits meteoric rise from ex-Soviet state to leading player in European political affairs. At the time of Grudzinskiís interview with The Washington Diplomatóon the day marking the second anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacksóPolish forces were taking control of a massive section of southwest Iraq and managing a 21-member coalition of nearly 10,000 troops that will try to bring stability to one of Iraqís most volatile regions. It was in this region that the Shiite cleric Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim was killedóalong with about 100 of his com patriotsóby a car bomb outside the Imam Ali mosque in Najaf, fueling fears of an internal Shiite war. In Poland, the move into Iraq is, understandably, a major issue, with 60 percent of the population against military intervention, fearing that their country will be dragged into an unrelenting and massive confrontation in Iraq. In a recent television interview, U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said that Polandís intervention in southern Iraq would ìtake the pressure off the U.S.î and reduce the number of attacks on U.S. troops. The ambassador, however, quickly rejected the suggestion that the United States is trying to extract itself from a difficult position by putting Poland in its place. ìI think that the international community has a responsibility or obligation to step in,î he said. ìWe have been with the U.S. from the beginning and [our involvement] is only right.î Grudzinski views this involvement as part of new vision for Polish foreign policy, one that will see the nation rise to the very center of international politics. ì[Iraq] shows how we want to shape our role for the future,î he said. ìWe have a certain kind of vision of our activism on international relations, a vision which is perhaps not fully yet supported by the economic strengths of the country. But we want to belong to those countries that shape events, shape responses to the new threats. We must step up to the plate.î It is a new role that might not be as unrealistic as some might think. In addition to holding one of the largest voting blocs in the European Union when it joins next May, Poland is now the new darling of NATO and the Bush administration, both of which are moving frantically to increase Polandís power. The U.S. government recently put a freeze on the nonessential development of its German bases amid growing speculation that it is to move its European command to Poland. In the course of a lengthy interview, this is the only issue the ambassador declined to speculate on, sitting back in his chair at its very mention. ìI donít want to comment on that,î he said. ìThis is a matter still being debated within the U.S. government. We are not at the point of discussing this with our U.S. counterparts.î But would it be something that he would be in favor of? ìI personally donít have a view on that matter so I will abstain,î Grudzinski said and then smiled. Whatever Polandís future relationship with the United States and NATO, Grudzinski is adamant that Polandís involvement in Iraq is not solely to serve his countryís interests, and he sees great parallels between Polandís rise from the nightmare of Soviet oppression and the Iraqi people overcoming Saddam Husseinís dictatorship. ìWe want to see the Iraqi people free from the terrible dictatorship, and this is based on our own recent experience. We think that things can improve, that other people from the outside should help and keep up this impulse for democracy and human rights,î Grudzinski said. ìWe want to talk with the local Iraqis about self-government, which was our recent experience in Poland,î he added. ìWe want to talk about how we transformed ourselves from night to day in our transformation in the early 1990s.î Grudzinski pointed out that the move into Iraq goes beyond any foreign policy decision Poland has made in modern times: ìThis is a very heavy engagement. It is a result of a very bold policy decision taken by the Polish government, which definitely goes beyond what Poland has been doing in its contemporary history.î The ambassador said he would like to see Polandís European friends also in Iraq, denying that there is any tension between Poland and its Western European allies, notably France and Germany, who strongly opposed U.S. intervention in Iraq. Poland, which is set to join the European Union next May, will soon find itself in an organization that was bitterly divided over the Iraq conflict, but Grudzinski said the time has come to move past these differences. ìWe are now debating as part of the European family,î he said. ìItís in the clear interests of all of us in Europe to see that Iraq will develop into a much more stable and peaceful country. I donít think there is a major disagreement here.î When asked about a provocative statement made by French President Jacques Chirac last Februaryóin which he said that Poland and other Eastern European nations had ìmissed a great opportunity to shut upî about their support for U.S. military action in IraqóGrudzinski said, ìAfter a period of, I admit, disagreement, [the European Union countries] all keep their fingers crossed for the Polish troops in Iraq. So I donít think anybody would want to grudge us.î The ambassador added that the United States and Europe have overcome many difficulties in the past. ìIf you look at trans-Atlantic history since the early í50s, there were very divisive moments, such as the Suez crisis. Itís clear that Poland survived this recent moment of tension very well. In fact, we have come out of it with a very definite profile of a country that is able and willing to participate in sorting the most important issues of the day.î Grudzinski said he believes it is still too early, however, for the United Nations to take control of Iraq over the U.S.-led coalition. ìEveryone understands within the U.N. system that the overwhelming presence of the U.S., and its capabilities to manage Iraq, couldnít be replaced by the U.N. right now. There is simply no U.N. capability to that effect,î he said, also ruling out an escalation to Polandís involvement in Iraq. ìI donít think we can send any more troops. [In the U.S.], you have your own budgetary and manpower limitations like us. We donít plan to expand our presence. We are strong supporters of a strong U.N., and we support the effort to internationalize the effort in Iraq. We think also that other institutions could play a very useful role, like NATO. In fact, NATO is backing up our role in a limited but meaningful way,î Grudzinski said. The week of the interview was significant for Poland for another reason. The original demands made by the Solidarity trade union that ultimately toppled communism in Poland became protected documents of world heritage by the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), one of only a small number of 20th-century political papers granted that honor. The Solidarity demands that once hung outside a Polish shipyard gate are now among the most treasured documents of modern times. They sum up the Solidarity generation and its unrelenting ambition. Once an underground trade union movement, its members set off a massive public uprising that was a major factor in the collapse of the Soviet system in Eastern Europe. Only 14 years after independence, those Solidarity members, including Grudzinski, who have become part of the current political system are now facing a new challenge: how to assert Poland on the international stage in the midst of a huge reshaping of international politics. Recent opinion polls show that the Polish public feels its governmentís involvement in Iraq may have been a step too far in that process, a fact the ambassador concedes. ìI think that many Poles think we went way above what we should offer Iraq, and they say, ëWhy should we stick our head out so far?í ìThere is this element of caution and reserve toward sending our boys toward harms ways, which is understandable,î Grudzinski said. The ambassador and former historian stressed, however, that nothing comes without sacrifice and hard work. ìI think that in order to improve the situation overall Ö we need to pay a certain price.î Sean OíDriscoll is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.