How did the political myth of Intermarium emerge and structure foreign policy debate in Poland? An analysis of official government documents from 2005-2021
thesis
posted on 2024-08-30, 12:27 authored by Alicja ProchniakHow did the political myth of Intermarium emerge and structure foreign policy debate in Poland? An analysis of official government documents from 2005-2021
Funding
Research Council UK (Loughborough University London)
History
School
- Loughborough University, London
Abstract
In 2016, leaders from most Eastern European countries met in Dubrovnik, Croatia, to discuss the formation of the Three Seas Initiative (TSI). Announced as a new flagship project of Polish diplomacy, the Three Seas Initiative, thereafter, became the subject of intense discussion among journalists, academics and politicians (Kushnir 2019). The main objective of the project was to initiate closer cooperation between Eastern European countries. The core idea recalled the principles of the geopolitical plan developed by Józef Piłsudski, the first head of state after regaining independence (1918-22), known as Intermarium (Cieplucha 2014, Okulewicz 2001). Piłsudski’s strategy envisaged the unification of the countries located between the Adriatic, Baltic and Black Seas, along the lines of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The parallel nature of both diplomatic initiatives was highlighted and broadly debated by scholars and commentators. The international discussion focused mainly on the relevance of applying the Intermarium concept to the landscape of the 2004 EU enlargement and its relevance to the Eastern European region. However, this thesis argues that the Intermarium as a concept does not have a clear and precise definition (Chodakiewicz 2012, Napiórkowski 2019). The Intermarium is conceptualised differently by various academics and across fields and disciplines. Research that seeks to examine how the Intermarium appears in the foreign policy debate must first clearly define the concept. This thesis argues that the use of the Intermarium concept in contemporary Polish foreign policy debate is characterised by appeals to the unique character of Slavic history and culture, presenting Poland as a chosen nation with a specific mission and calling in international affairs (Flood 2002, Esch 2010, Leustean 2008, Kettel & Kerr 2021). This type of enduring symbolism is known as political myth, a structure composed of a system of signs and a set of symbols that sacralise and ritualise meaning (Esch 2010, Leustean 2008, De Guevara 2016). This thesis conceptualises the Intermarium as a political myth and employs content analysis to map the use of the myth in Polish foreign policy debate between 2005 and 2021. Thematic analysis is then utilised to identify the role and function of the Intermarium myth. The analysis has identified three main discourses in which the myth is used for different purposes – the Regional Hegemony discourse, the Bridge discourse and the New Paradigm discourse. Each discourse invokes different elements of the myth and uses the Intermarium to promote, legitimise, naturalise or depoliticise various aspects of the proposed foreign policy (De Guevara 2016). The myth is also used as an element of political competition, as it is implemented to define the boundaries of legitimacy of actors in public discourse. The analysis shows that, in line with the tenets of the Intermarium perspective, geopolitics and the Eastern dimension of foreign policy are mythologised and sacralised, appearing in all three discourses as undisputed common knowledge, a truth with quasi-religious authority (Leustean 2008, Esch 2010, Kettel & Kerr 2021).Publisher
Loughborough UniversityRights holder
© Alicja McGarrigle (Prochniak)Publication date
2024Notes
A Doctoral Thesis. Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy of Loughborough UniversityLanguage
- en
Supervisor(s)
Helen Drake ; Cristian Nitoiu ; Nicola ChelottiQualification name
- PhD
Qualification level
- Doctoral
This submission includes a signed certificate in addition to the thesis file(s)
- I have submitted a signed certificate
Administrator link
Usage metrics
Categories
No categories selectedKeywords
Licence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC