In a 40-minute interview for the Wyborcza.pl website recently, Brzeziński, who served as national security advisor under US President Jimmy Carter, discussed China, North Korea, Brexit, Russia and Ukraine.
One
According to Żurawski vel Grajewski, cited in niezalezna.pl, Brzeziński said Crimea was a “gift” to Ukraine in 1954. But citing Ukraine’s long history, Żurawski vel Grajewski concluded that Russia’s claim to the peninsula was equivalent to a thief’s claim to his loot.
The history of Crimea is complicated. Conquered by Russia in 1783, the peninsula remained part of it until World War I, undergoing deep Russification. Its native inhabitants, the Crimean Tatars, were still strong enough to proclaim the independence of the Crimean People's Republic on 25 November, 1917. This was suppressed by the Bolsheviks, who in turn in April 1918 were defeated by the Ukrainians, gaining control of the peninsula for a short time, Żurawski vel Grajewski said.
Two
In relation to the recent re-election of former Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to the presidency of the European Council, Brzeziński was wrong to suggest that Poland “spat on its own candidate,” Żurawski vel Grajewski said. Though Polish, Tusk is not a representative of the government in Warsaw.
Zbigniew Brzeziński. Photo: New America (CC BY 2.0)/flickr.com
Three
The Polish political scientist said that, while Democratic party intellectuals had shown their distaste for Trump, Brzeziński's suggestion that Poland should have backed Tusk, who has suggested the US is a threat to Europe, when, in fact, America is the main hope for military security in Central and Eastern Europe is, “at least injudicious.”
Four
Żurawski vel Grajewski also said that Poland was at the forefront of the European countries threatened in Europe’s east, which he added was contradictory to what Brzeziński said.
Five
Finally, Żurawski vel Grajewski accused Brzeziński of being misinformed. According to Żurawski vel Grajewski, suggestions made by Brzeziński that the pilots in the 2010 Polish presidential plane crash in Smolensk had been under pressure to land have long been ruled out.
On April 10, 2010, the Polish presidential plane crashed in Smolensk, western Russia, killing all 96 on board, including President Lech Kaczyński.
(vb/pk)