Former President and leader of the Solidarity trade union Lech Walesa: His refusal to take part at a meeting on democracy with President Obama was a major dissappointment.
Warsaw: What helps countries like Egypt and Tunisia on
their way to democracy? That's what President Obama wanted to discuss with his
Eastern European counterparts in Warsaw. But the meeting revealed alienation: In
an ironic twist, Obama was snubbed by the hero of the Polish democracy movement
[Lech Walesa].
Some residents of Warsaw's
Old Town imagined themselves in Armageddon, the site of the Biblical
end-time battle. “We were obliged to fly our guests in by helicopter,” Marek
Molenda complained when asked about the increased security measures at the
heart of the capital. His restaurant is located between the Presidential Palace
and the Royal Castle, where the Central European Summit was held from Friday to
Sunday.
Although heads of state from around
20 countries were gathered for the summit, Warsovians
blame the chaos on the reception of one man: Barack Obama ended his European
visit by flying into Poland. Molenda could have done without it. “It's just an
annoyance,” he said.
Molenda wasn't the only one short
on enthusiasm. More than anything, the meeting in Warsaw highlighted how little
the U.S. president and his Eastern European colleagues have to say to one
another. And that - despite having an exciting topic of conversation: How can
young democracies - Tunisia and Egypt in particular - be supported as they
emerge? For many Eastern European countries, the experience of their own democracy
is still fairly fresh. Poland, in particular, wanted to offer its expertise gathered
during the days of their peaceful revolution of 1989.
But at the last minute, of
all people, Lech Walesa - Poland's freedom fighter, former Solidarity
leader and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize - declined to participate in the
meeting with Obama.His reason: It was little
more than a photo op. President Bronislaw Komorowski
frankly admitted that it was a “bitter loss.”
The media puzzled over what
Walesa's real motive might be. Did he feel snubbed by the fact that the U.S.
president didn't want to meet with him privately? Or did he not want to attend because
his arch-rival, Jaroslaw Kaczynski - the brother of President Lech Kaczynski who
was killed in the 2010
Smolensk air disaster - would have been seated at the table? Walesa once had
a falling-out with the Kaczynskis because, unlike them, he didn't have a desire
to exact retribution from their deposed Communist rulers. Unfortunately, there's
no tried-and-true recipe for democratization.
Michele didn't even make the trip
Even Obama couldn't hide that
he felt somewhat out of place in Warsaw. That otherwise radiant smile appeared
oddly tortured upon arrival. First Lady Michelle Obama, who had shone in London,
skipped the trip to Poland altogether. This was perceived as an “unmistakable
snub” by the country's leadership.
Of course, while in Warsaw the
president uttered sentences such as: “'We've taken great inspiration from
the blossoming of freedom and economic growth in this region.” According to the
president, Poland is an example and leader in the region. But in reality, President
Obama is somewhat at a loss as to what to do with this part of the world,” says
Warsovian political scientist and expert on U.S. affairs, Zbigniew Lewicki. The
president's primary objective in Warsaw was to send Eastern Europeans a message:
“Look, I haven't forgotten you.”
Indeed, this impression has
imposed itself since Obama took office. At the time, Obama offended his
colleagues in Poland and the Czech Republic by scrapping plans by his
predecessor George W. Bush for a missile shield in based in the two countries. Together
with Poland, Bush's efforts to include Ukraine and Georgia in NATO were left to
languish as well. Long gone are the days when the Bush Administration
criticized the “Old Europe” of Germany and France, which allowed Poland to hope
for a “special relationship” along the lines of the British model.
But Obama isn't solely
responsible for alienating Eastern Europe. Over a year ago, for instance, Ukrainians
elected pro-Russian Viktor
Yanukovych as president. Sixty percent of Ukrainians are opposed to joining
NATO, with only 25 percent in favor. In Poland as well, not much remains of an
orientation toward the U.S. Moderate right-wing premier Donald Tusk and his head of
state and fellow party member Komorowski are died-in-the-wool E.U. supporters. When
in doubt, they will align their policy with Brussels rather than Washington. “Our
government has absolutely no idea how to further develop our relationship with
the United States, “says U.S. affairs expert Lewicki.
Fighter jets as a consolation prize
So to add points over and
above those that were leaked in advance of the visit, Obama had something else
for the Polish government. The U.S. wants to establish a base for F-16 fighter-bombers
in Poland - a kind of consolation prize for the failure of the missile shield
project. And there are plans for a joint search for shale gas reserves that are
thought to lie between the Baltic and the Carpathians. In the U.S., the commodity
is regarded as the post-oil era savior. Poland could benefit from existing
American extraction technology and one day free itself from dependence on
Russian gas and domestic coal.
Posted
by WORLDMEETS.US
Also, a planned side-trip to
Lech Kaczynski's grave in Krakow won't take place either. Instead, Obama met
with some survivors of the Smolensk airplane tragedy. And the president spoke
briefly with Marta Kaczynska, the daughter of the head of state who died in the
crash. After the crash in April 2010, Obama had intended to attend Kaczynski's
funeral. But the ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull
prevented him from making the trans-Atlantic flight. This time around, although
the Grimsvötn volcano was spewing ash, Obama wasn't prevented from making the
trip. It's conceivable after this visit to Warsaw, Obama will be pleased with
additional flight cancellations.
