6355787732

Table of contents

authorities, the reactivity of defence Systems as well as the decision-making processes of international security institutions. This issue calls for consideration of defence measures with which the Polish defence strategy may respond in case of a potential, politically unclear conflict with features of the “hybrid war”.

Crisis in German-American relations, their perspectives    81

and impact on transatlantic relations

Przemysław Pacuła

German-American relations are one of the major building blocks of transatlantic relations. Their ąuality is important for both countries in ąuestion and for the security Europę as a whole. The scalę of challenges in this area—from Russia’s actions towards Ukrainę and other States of the former USSR, to the still ongoing economic crisis, to threats connected with the “Islamie State”, part of whose militants are reeruited from West European States, reąuires close co-operation between NATO and the EU. Mean-while, relations between the US and Germany, filled with contradictory interests, which became particularly visible in the previous decade, entered the stage of a deep crisis after the revelation of the scalę of surveillance carried out by US intelligence services in Germany. Hence, it is worth considering how, in this context, relations will develop between the most powerful State in America and the world, and the hegemonie economic leader of Europę in the most immediate and morę distant perspectives.

Shaping of a regional military order - the success in the Western Balkans 103

Zdzisław Lachowski

In December 2014, the countries of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europę welcomed with satisfaction the end to a 18-year-long process of the post-conflict military settlement in the Bałkan region. Since the beginning of this century the region has seen an improvement of its military situation, the tangible result of which was sus-pension of the implementation of the agreement on confidence and security building measures in Bośnia and Herzegovina, in autumn 2004, followed by progress in carry-ing out the Florence Agreement. The success of this regional arms control is important due to several reasons: against the backdrop of the lasting stagnation, especially in the aftermath of the “freezing” of the CFE, it is a crowning of a significant process in this field. Materiał roots of tensions and conflicts in the Bałkan part of Europę have been removed, and in an emancipating act of transferring responsibility for the military order to the region itself, the status of countries long divided by rivalry, conflicts, nationalism and the ensuing mistrust and suspicion has been elevated. The agreement on arms control and its implementation became possible thanks to real co-operation, in the spirit of good will, demonstrated by powers, States, organizations and informal groups. After its “lean years” the politico-military instrument of arms control ought to be reintroduced to the European agenda when all the parties to the Euro-Atlantic dialogue agree that a military aggression and deterrence damage the fabric of international co-operation and confidence.

Bezpieczeństwo Narodowe 2015/1