Articles by: "Slawomir Sierakowski"
Poland’s democratic rebirth pains

In October, Polish voters demonstrated that even extremely unequal elections against authoritarian incumbents can be won. The opposition’s victory, and the country’s subsequent re-democratisation, may hold useful lessons for likeminded forces in Hungary, Turkey, and …

The end of the road for Poland’s populists?

This wasn’t supposed to happen. With sweeping control over state financial resources and public and local media, Poland’s populist ruling party, Law and Justice (PiS), had a massive structural advantage in this month’s parliamentary election. …

The missile attack that wasn’t

The rocket strike that killed two Poles near their country’s border with Ukraine on 15 November  proved to be a test not so much of defence policy as of the information policy of Poland, Ukraine …

Is Ukraine rejecting its natural allies?

Immediately after World War II, the Paris-exiled Polish intellectual Jerzy Giedroyc (of Lithuanian origins, born in Minsk) coined a phrase that would come to define Poland’s foreign policy towards its eastern neighbours: ‘There will be …

The Russians who are leaving

In the broader discussion about Russia’s war on Ukraine, an important but overlooked element is the exodus of Russians from their homeland. Though it’s impossible to determine the scale of this phenomenon, we can expect …

The moral bankruptcy of German pacifism

After a prolonged lead-up, Germany finally delivered on its decision to send heavy weaponry to Ukraine. But the Gepard (Cheetah) anti-aircraft tanks that Germany is offering are antiques that lack ammunition. The manufacturer has only …

Putin’s empire of lies

Vladimir Putin’s regime has banned Russian media from referring to his invasion of Ukraine as a ‘war’. Instead, it is to be framed as ‘an operation to liberate Ukraine from neo-Nazis’. The state-run RIA news …

The view from Kyiv

For international observers, Russian President Vladimir Putin either will start a new war in Ukraine or he will not. But for Ukrainians, the war started when Putin annexed Crimea in 2014, and it has continued …