중동부유럽

This article examines Polish participation in the Iraq war (2003–2008) and its aftermath through a postcolonial lens within the context of Warsaw’s foreign policy choices in the post-Cold War era. After the fall of communism, Poland attempted to join “core” Western countries and institutions, while simultaneously distancing itself from the countries of the “periphery”. The article argues that Poland has operated in a liminal space during the Iraq war and its aftermath as it has been treated as an “internal other” of the West, and at the same time has “othered” the Iraqi periphery. The article does this by applying three key postcolonial theories to the case study: Said’s concept of orientalism, Coronil’s concept of occidentalism and Spivak’s ideas related to the subaltern. The article finds the following to be true: (a) Poland has been orientalised by core Western states while it has also orientalised the Iraqi and Middle Eastern periphery, (b) Poland has generally been a willing participant of occidentalist strategies concerning Iraq and the Middle East and (c) Western core states have attempted to speak for/silence Poland while Poland has spoken for/silenced the Iraqi/Middle Eastern periphery.