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Small States and Worthless Allies

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Small States and Worthless Allies No. 6/2014 Small States and Worthless Allies Bruce Pitcairn Jackson Earlier this summer in an unguarded emphasizes the importance of close moment, Polish Foreign Minister military and economic ties with Radosław Sikorski characterized his the United States. In the next few Bruce P. Jackson country’s alliance with the United pages, I would like to address several States as “worthless” and parts of this question: (PRESIDENT, PTD) the relationship between Poland . What is the basis for the belief that Bruce P. Jackson is the founding and the United States as “bullshit.” a natural alliance does and should director of the Project on There was the expected handwring- exist between the Czech Republic Transitional Democracies (PTD), ing about the tenor of the minister’s and the United States? which promotes democratic reforms remarks and his graphic Elizabethan in former Soviet states. Mr. Jackson vocabulary, but no one quarreled . Is the Czech strategy of enhancing also served as a U.S. army with the truth of what he said. As is its military and trade relations with intelligence officer (1979–1990), frequently the case with the brilliant the United States likely to be Pentagon arms control adviser Sikorski, he was completely right successful? (1986–1990) and adviser to about the value of the American . If not the United States, what the presidential campaigns of alliance to Poland. Senators Bob Dole and John McCain. alternatives exist for the Czech Mr. Jackson´s career includes From the perspective of Poland, Republic to achieve the same founding the U.S. Committee on the United States defaulted on its objectives that are currently being NATO; advising to the American obligation to help develop pursued by Czech foreign policy Enterprise Institute and Frank the militaries of new NATO members in Washington? and contingency plans for their Gaffney's Center for Security Policy; But before turning to the issues defense, reneged on its commitment helping to direct the Project for specific to the Czech Republic, to deploy strategic defenses, paid the New American Century; and I would like to make some general scant attention to any country in being a member of a now-defunct comments about the problem Central Europe and diddled and Freedom House program called of small states seeking alliances. the American Committee for Peace dithered for years with Russia. in Chechnya. Judging from the current situation in The Small-State Problem: Russia, Ukraine and Belarus As a general rule, smaller states A longtime Republican Party and America’s drift toward the Pacific prefer a security relationship with operative, Jackson was a delegate Ocean, independent Poland’s securi- a distant power over the much more committed to then-Governor George ty situation has not been this bad problematic relations that come with W. Bush and chaired the Foreign since the late 1930s. And, as if to rub larger neighbors. As Mexico’s geo- Policy Subcommittee of salt into Warsaw’s wounds, the U.S. graphical problem is often described, the Republican Platform Committee. State Department has made no “So far from God, so close secret of its opposition to to the United States.” Something the candidacy of senior Polish along the same lines could be said officials for leadership positions in about the Czech Republic (perhaps, NATO and the European Union. “So close to Russia, so far Given the facts, Minister Sikorski’s from Western Europe”). comments are remarkably Small states tend to seek restrained. the affection of distant powers Setting the Polish compliant aside, to balance or offset the unwanted whether the United States is indeed affections of their immediate a worthless ally and the implications neighbors, but this balancing game of this state of affairs are important works best in an international system questions for countries like the Czech of many roughly equal powers. In the Republic whose foreign policy early 20th century, the great powers PCTR / CEVRO INSTITUT Jungmannova 17 / 110 00 Praha 1 / Czech Republic tel. /+ 420 221 506 737 // fax /+ 420 221 506 709 email / [email protected] // www.cevroinstitut.cz No. 6/2014 followed events in Agadir and China to an alliance with a friend. arbitrary periods in order to illustrate closely for fear that their peers might Secondly, it is highly improbable that the salient characteristics of each. gain advantage. For the same two states in different hemispheres 1. The Camelot of Václav Havel: reason, during the Cold War, will find identical geopolitical At the end of the Cold War, both the post-colonial wars of Southeast interests. The illegal immigration parties embraced a shared set Asia mattered greatly to the United of Roma might be an existential of values, but these were States, the Soviet Union and People’s threat in Paris and a National Geo- predominantly cultural values, which Republic of China. Today, with graphic cover story in Washington. could be summarized as beer, blue a single dominant power, the Great The only possible exception to jeans and rock ’n’ roll and in Game is harder to play for smaller the Iron Law of geography could be the person of Václav Havel. states, as Georgia, Macedonia, terrorism, which countries perceive Americans and Czechs could agree Montenegro, Armenia, the Baltic in the same way across great that 1968 was a big year for both the States and most of Central Europe distances, but even here capitals will United States and the Czech have discovered. There is no great differ on whether and when to fight Republic. That the Americans risk for the United States in ignoring in Syria, Somalia or Mali. Suffice thought of 1968 as Woodstock distant problems because there is to say, there are good reasons why and the summer of love no obvious rival that could exploit the Czech Republic and Central Eu- and the Czechs thought of Soviet our inattention (at least up to rope never found a permanent ally in tanks troubled no one. Somehow, the moment). their history and why most of Central belonging to the same generation Europe found an uneasy refuge in In addition to the inequality of power made these two disparate the Austro-Hungarian Empire as between the small state and experiences analogous or even an alternative. the distant power, there are also equivalent. The reasoning behind this asymmetries of interests, which are A Short History of Czech Relations cultural connection remains obscure. magnified by different geographical with America: Proponents of closer In any event, Americans embraced realities. The Czech Republic might ties between the Czech Republic and Havel as a secular saint, and see a powerful ally as useful in the United States cite what could be the Czechs embraced America controlling passions within Central thought of as the Natural Law as a symbol of all the culture Europe and in restraining the power of alliances between like-minded and consumerism that had been of Russia, Germany and conceivably democracies. This axiom holds that denied to them by communism Turkey. By contrast, the United adherence to a common set of broad and misrule. It would be hard to States might see all of Mitteleuropa political values will engender in both argue that this cultural comity was as either a bridge to or a barrier democracies a shared responsibility the product of closely reasoned against Russia depending for the defense of these values from political thought. The questions on the policy du jour. Many Czechs which will naturally spring increased posed to this romantic alliance were might think that this is a distinction trade and various cultural affinities. surprisingly easy, and the answers without a difference. But in the case In keeping with vintage were painless: Russia bad; Aung San where the United States loses all Enlightenment thinking, Natural Law Suu Kyi good; Europe Whole interest in what happens to Russia, dictates this original state of and Free; and Cuba Libre. In truth, then the United States has no intimacy, alliance and equality these slogans can barely be strategic interest in Central Europe between democracies. But is this considered as political values. whatsoever without a Russian true and does it apply to the Czech- Certainly, the presidency of Václav or Eastern rationale. American relationship since the end Havel accomplished a great deal in of the Cold War? the development of a human rights In short, small states are often agenda and NATO expansion, frustrated in their search for a distant Empirically, it should be quite easy but there remains the question but reliable ally, beyond the obvious to assess the foundation for and of whether shared values alone problem that “distant” and extent of the relationship over constitute a political alliance “effective” don’t normally come the past 25 years. For the purposes in foreign policy. Anne Applebaum in the same package. First, Great of simplicity and concision, I have has written critically on what she Powers are far more likely to respond divided the modern history calls the “McDonald’s Theory of to the threat of a rival than of the Czech Republic into four PCTR / CEVRO INSTITUT Jungmannova 17 / 110 00 Praha 1 / Czech Republic tel. /+ 420 221 506 737 // fax /+ 420 221 506 709 email / [email protected] // www.cevroinstitut.cz No. 6/2014 International Relations,” which holds political values have if they do about America’s interests. In many that the feeling of interconnected- not lead to political outcomes, as ways, the absence of interlocking ness will bring peace to the world. the shared values between interests is a relief. In some ways, the It is a longer subject than this paper the United States and Czech Republic current period is the happiest since allows, but it is worth asking if did not in this period.
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