Marek Kutarba: Donald Trump Makes Promises to Karol Nawrocki. But Did He Run Them by Putin?
Donald Trump’s words about boosting the U.S. military presence in Poland carry more weight than they deserve. President Karol Nawrocki's visit to Washington is undoubtedly a public relations success for the head of state, but the question is whether it is also a success for Poland. Here, success is measured by deeds, not words.
Assessing the situation with my innate malice, I can’t help but ask: When Donald Trump declared the possible increase in the number of American troops, did he already have Vladimir Putin's consent, or does he intend to ask for it? The main issue is Trump's credibility. The U.S. president is generous with promises, but he has no qualms about disowning them later. By speaking of the American presence, he wanted to strengthen Nawrocki's political position as the president of Poland, and judging by the government’s nervous press briefings, he has succeeded. But let us keep in mind that such declarations bind Americans to nothing.
Can We Afford To Keep More U.S. Troops in Poland?
There are currently about 10,000 U.S. soldiers stationed in Poland, mostly on a rotating basis. That is why today we need not a larger, but a permanent, presence of U.S. forces, and a change from the rotational system to permanently stationed units. If American aircraft or air defenses were to become part of such a permanent presence, I would not shed tears over the costs that would have to be incurred in this regard. Recent violations of Polish airspace have shown that we need such support.
At the same time, we must keep in mind that there is one problem with expanding the American presence: the Trump administration insists the host country foot the bill. Japan and South Korea learned this not so long ago. The question is whether or not we can afford it. With current military spending and an excessive welfare system, this is, in my opinion, unlikely.
Or Maybe Instead of American Soldiers We Should Go for the Nuclear Sharing Program?
Looking for tangible confirmation of his success, the president could still return to the idea of including Poland in the nuclear sharing program. Although personally I don’t support the idea. The problem is that Russia would not agree to such a move despite the fact that it itself has deployed weapons in Belarus. Russia's opposition means Poland's success here is out of the question.
Trump has repeatedly, and more importantly, often in a manner completely contrary to his declarations, put Russia's interests ahead of the interests of America’s allies. Polish politicians should keep that in mind. No matter what part of the political scene they represent.
Assessing the situation with my innate malice, I can’t help but ask: When Donald Trump declared the possible increase in the number of American troops, did he already have Vladimir Putin's consent, or does he intend to ask for it? The main issue is Trump's credibility. The U.S. president is generous with promises, but he has no qualms about disowning them later. By speaking of the American presence, he wanted to strengthen Nawrocki's political position as the president of Poland, and judging by the government’s nervous press briefings, he has succeeded. But let us keep in mind that such declarations bind Americans to nothing.
Can We Afford To Keep More U.S. Troops in Poland?
There are currently about 10,000 U.S. soldiers stationed in Poland, mostly on a rotating basis. That is why today we need not a larger, but a permanent, presence of U.S. forces, and a change from the rotational system to permanently stationed units. If American aircraft or air defenses were to become part of such a permanent presence, I would not shed tears over the costs that would have to be incurred in this regard. Recent violations of Polish airspace have shown that we need such support.
At the same time, we must keep in mind that there is one problem with expanding the American presence: the Trump administration insists the host country foot the bill. Japan and South Korea learned this not so long ago. The question is whether or not we can afford it. With current military spending and an excessive welfare system, this is, in my opinion, unlikely.
Or Maybe Instead of American Soldiers We Should Go for the Nuclear Sharing Program?
Looking for tangible confirmation of his success, the president could still return to the idea of including Poland in the nuclear sharing program. Although personally I don’t support the idea. The problem is that Russia would not agree to such a move despite the fact that it itself has deployed weapons in Belarus. Russia's opposition means Poland's success here is out of the question.
Trump has repeatedly, and more importantly, often in a manner completely contrary to his declarations, put Russia's interests ahead of the interests of America’s allies. Polish politicians should keep that in mind. No matter what part of the political scene they represent.
Previous article![]( "The Game of Chess between the US and Venezuela Continues")
Next article![]( "The US Courts Are the Last Bastion of Resistance")