1 Prof. Dr Habil. Elzbieta Stadtmuller University of Wroclaw Institute of International Studies Email:
[email protected] The Issue of NATO Enlargement in Polish – Russian Relations (final report for NATO Fellowship , 2000-2001) Introduction The rapid changes which took place in Europe towards the end of the 20th century affected all areas of international relations. Constructing a new security system, however, was undoubtedly one of the most sensitive questions. The profundity and speed of the processes inevitably aroused anxiety among all members of international society, and a sense of instability was all-pervasive. The old order built on two ideologically and politically antagonistic blocs - although not accepted by most Europeans, and rejected in the end even by the Soviet Union - at least allowed allies and enemies to be clearly demarcated, and national goals and tasks of organisations to be defined. In the new Europe, emerging after 1989, most elements of that bipolar order came into question – the borders and territorial integrity of states, international relations, the role and aims of international organisations, as well as the internal political, social and economic order of many countries. Simultaneously, fundamental processes on a global scale, stemming from the technological revolution and the development of the global economy, began to be seen as vital for all mankind, leading, as they did, to growing interdependence, to the increasing importance of global problems, and to the necessity for reforms in international organisations and foreign policy. The beginning of the ´90s brought, on the one hand, hope for truly peaceful relationships at last, if not on a global at least on a European scale.