Intermarium Strategic Survey I
Now, with the war in Ukraine raging, and an open challenge to the international order being laid down by Russia in a way not witnessed in Europe since the end of the second world war we believe it is critically important to have the perspective of the Intermarium states heard louder than ever before. With that in mind we decided to launch the Intermarium Strategic Survey – a cyclical and in-depth review of key trends and developments affecting the structural balance of power in Central and Eastern Europe, from the Baltic to the Black sea. Intermarium Strategic Survey will take form of a bundle of texts published on Strategy&Future website, both most recent and archival, delivered on a monthly basis via email.
Strategy&Future is the premier European geopolitical center for understanding international competition and for exploring the strategies and military concepts pursued by international actors in the 21st century. Focused on the future, reporting daily on the present and drawing abundantly from the lessons of the past, we offer to dive into the very essence of knowledge on world affairs, as seen through the lenses of geopolitics and geostrategy. June 2022
Our core mission is to explain unfolding events and trends that impact the lives of people and shape the destinies of nations around the world. We also aim to help develop innovative, resource-informed concepts, galvanize public debate, and spur action – should such a need arise. We want to share with our subscribers the European and especially the Central & Eastern European perspective on world affairs, permanently influenced by the fluid balance of power in Eurasia – and elsewhere – in an increasingly volatile and fragile security environment that badly needs to be understood, not only by political and military leaders but also by individuals and business leaders.
For centuries, our part of Europe has been a playground for great power competition, witnessing devastating wars, excessive turmoil and revolutions. Just as importantly, in times of stability and power consolidation, it has also tended to foster its own strategic culture. Being traditionally squeezed between the sea and continental powers in a crush zone composed of a 1200 km long belt of multiple nations, it stretches from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, right along the main geopolitical crossroads of strategic flows, between a vibrant European peninsula and the formidable militaries of the Eurasian landmass. At Strategy&Future, we seek to cultivate a lively tradition of strategic thought and mental mapping that is unique to the region and its inhabitants.
Paradoxically, it seemed after 1989 that Warsaw was located conveniently close to the Atlantic coast, making it easy to embrace a Transatlantic Western community then engulfed in the conviction that ‘History’ had ‘Ended’ with the remarkable victory over Soviet Union being its last chord. Instead, it turned out that history never ends, and in terms of distance, Warsaw is half-way between Beijing and Washington D.C. One may walk to Moscow or Beijing while they cannot do the same across the ocean to the United States – and more worryingly one may walk from Moscow to Warsaw just as easily. This matters very much in geopolitics. Traditionally close to this part of Europe are the powers of Germany, Russia and Turkey, who are reorienting or will soon be reorienting their policies and strategies in order to adjust to the ongoing structural shift. All that is framing the environment in which Poland and other nations of continental Europe are operating. Regardless of our best will and desires, the flux that ruthlessly follows any structural shift of power will certainly affect all of Eurasia.
These words are excerpted from the very first article published on our website back in August 2019, one meant to lay out our creed, and explain the idea behind Strategy&Future. Nearly three years onwards we believe we have delivered on our pledge, as attested by nearly 10000 paid subscribers, over 160000 subscribers to our YouTube channel, 19000000 total views on YouTube, countless interviews with Polish and international guests, speaking on the matters of grand strategy, geopolitics, economy, and military affaris. Nothing has changed in so far as our financial model; we remain funded exclusively by our subscribers, free from any interference from governmental and private entities.
In August 2020, in the aftermath of the Belarus’ presidential election, and our dawning realization, that the entire Intermarium region will soon find itself in a state of flux, S&F had embarked on it’s most ambitious project so far – the New Model Army for Poland, a blueprint laying the foundation for modernizing and reconceptualizing the Polish Armed Forces. In keeping with our business model, the NMA project was financed solely by crowdfunding. In December 2021 the NMA project was unveiled, accompanied by a 400 page report, and a 10 hour long live presentation, published on YouTube (which has since been viewed more than 600000 times), stirring public debate in Poland, and garnering a significant interest from the key stakeholders within the Polish Armed Forces.
