Regional cooperation and Poland’s military security

Abstract

Each state, through participation in international relations, constantly strives to ensure and then maintain an appropriate level of security. Functioning in the environment of other countries, it must pursue many interests, thanks to which it guarantees its survival, but at the same time ensures comprehensive development. The security of citizens of each state depends on many factors, including geopolitical and military conditions. One of the most important factors guaranteeing both the stability of the state’s constitutional order and the protection of its democratic values is political security. Ensuring it requires maintaining state structures in constant readiness in order to take up challenges, reduce threats and take advantage of opportunities in the political aspect. Closely related to this factor is military security, which concerns the relations between the state and the international environment, in which the military factor plays an important role. This requires maintaining the state’s own military capacity as optimal as possible and participating in adequate military alliances to prevent threats. The security of Poland and the region is usually perceived in the context of our participation in the most important international organizations, such as: the United Nations (UN), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the European Union (EU), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). However regional initiatives are equally important. The aim of the article is to analyze selected regional initiatives and their impact on ensuring Poland’s military security.