07 October 2008
Understanding the Formulation of Czech and Polish Foreign Policy Responses to U.S. Military Base Deployment Proposals
Author:
Michal
Trnik
Publisher:
Association for International Affairs, Prague, Czech Republic
Žitná 27
110 00 Prague
Czech Republic
Tel: +420 224 81 34 60
Fax: +420 224 81 34 60
http://www.amo.cz
This paper tackles the question why the Czech Republic and Poland, both close U.S. allies, developed considerably different foreign policy responses to the American offer to site parts of the U.S. missile defense system on their territories.
The negotiations of both Central European countries with the U.S. not only took remarkably different trajectories over time but upon conclusion (July 2008) the position of the Czech Republic and Poland towards the U.S. remained divergent. While the Czech Republic signed a formal agreement with the U.S. concerning the installation of a radar station, Poland on the other hand was far from striking a deal on missile installations.
