Polish armed forces in NATO multinational operations : strategic threats or chances?

The paper presents the phenomenon of Polish Military Contingents' participation in NATO peace and stabilization operatons. Poland was the first Eastern Bloc country which sent military contingents to UN peace operations (first in 1973, UNEF II). The problem of the international political aspects of Polish participation (impact of global strategic players) and close cooperation with foreign partners (NATO, American military contingents) are based on unique results of archival research conducted by the author. Moreover, the article also presents the role and tasks of Polish Military Contingents' participation in peace and stabilization operations in regard to strategic threats and chances of Polish security policy. This paper is based on unpublished archival documents and unique field research conducted in zones of NATO multinational operations, including Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq.