A Polish expert on geostrategy will speak Sunday evening at Canisius College on the role of his homeland plays in the United States' complicated movements to achieve a global balance of power.
Dr. Jacek Bartosiak has published three books which explore Central and Eastern European war history, and the United States' general shift of focus from Europe towards China and the Pacific. He is also a renowned expert in geostrategy who has worked with the Pentagon and with the Polish military in war games and related simulations.
"As I listened to him, he was explaining the situation globally right now and how important, of all the countries, Poland is in all the mosaic of the countries around the world," said Dr. Bogdan Kotnis, chief executive officer of Polonia Perspectives and the organizer of Bartosiak's local appearance, in cooperation with the Polish Chair at Canisius College.
Kotnis says there are three points in the world where security is critical, especially for global commercial needs: the Strait of Hormuz, between Iran and United Arab Emirates; the Malacca Strait near Singapore, a key passage for shipping Chinese goods; and Poland.
"If you're looking at history, you'll see that armies have been moving east and west for quite some time and millions of lives have been lost," Kotnis said. "And it looks right now that if things are going to get out of balance and someone miscalculates, we might have another confrontation. If we have it, that place is going to be very important to the world and to us here in the United States.
The US has taken steps more recently to warm relations with Poland, including an increased military presence. Dr. Bartosiak is expected to explain the US buildup in Poland, even while shifting its broader attention to security in the South Pacific near China.
"You can see that our interest is all over the world but because of all the instability we have right now, we have to pay attention to all those different places," Kotnis said. "We cannot just go to China and forget about Europe, because the Russians are the Russians, so they're just waiting for any opportunity to pounce."
Among the other steps the US has taken is to add Poland to the list of nations eligible for visa waivers, allowing travelers from qualified nations to visit the US for tourism and business for up to 90 days without the need to obtain a visa. Poland's visa waiver will take effect Monday, November 11, which is also that nation's Independence Day.
Dr. Bartosiak's appearance, which will begin with a lecture followed by a question-and-answer period, will begin at 6 p.m. Sunday, November 10 at the Canisius College Montante Center. Tickets are $20 for the public and $10 for students as well as guests ages 65 and older.
