Fletcher Students Attend Warsaw Security Forum 2025
In September 2025, a group of Fletcher students traveled to Warsaw, Poland to attend the annual security forum. The delegation was led by Arik Burakovsky, Associate Director of the Tufts University Center for Expanding Viewpoints on Higher Education. Members of the Fletcher delegation shared their impressions with Russia and Eurasia Program.
Bennett Murray, MALD ’26
I was delighted by the opportunity to travel to Warsaw with the Fletcher delegation in September 2025. On the logistical side, everything was very well prepared and of great quality. I especially enjoyed the generous culinary opportunities provided to us.
Our day tour of Warsaw was especially well arranged. I would recommend using the same guide on future trips to Warsaw.
The main event of the trip itself was an extremely interesting accessory to my studies at the Fletcher School. As a student with both a professional and academic focus on the war in Ukraine, I found myself at the heart of the transatlantic policy discussion surrounding my focus. This included key seeing key decisionmakers such as Keith Kellogg, Donald Tusk, and ministers from throughout Europe.
I especially appreciated the discussions on the defense industrial sector. I especially enjoyed a panel featuring Oleksandr Yakovenko, the CEO of TAF Industries, which is one of the primary producers of FPV drones in Ukraine. He spoke of the fact that he was reluctantly spending much of his time in Hong Kong to pursue Chinese components for his products. While China-source components are geopolitically unideal for a Ukrainian company in light of Beijing’s policies toward Russia, he nonetheless cannot find alternatives in allied countries.
I also had the opportunity to shake hands with Nate Vance. The first cousin of the U.S. Vice President, Vance spent almost three years fighting in Ukraine as an international volunteer. He spoke of his experiences on the frontline, providing a perspective that was rare among the speakers at WSF. He also spoke of his meetings with his first cousin in the months following the January inauguration, providing a glimpse into the mentality of the vice president.
Another highlight was a panel featuring Bill Browder, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Zhanna Nemtsova, and Arseniy Yatsenyuk. The somewhat heated discussion involved debate on the proper course of action to take with regards to frozen Russian assets held within European financial institutions.Overall, the Warsaw trip was an unforgettable experience that deepened my understanding of transatlantic policy and defense innovation amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. The mix of firsthand perspectives and high-level dialogue provided a rare opportunity to see how theory meets practice in real-world policymaking. Beyond the panels and formal discussions, the informal exchanges were equally valuable, offering insight into how diverse actors approach shared challenges. I left Warsaw with a renewed appreciation for the complexity of sustaining unity across democratic societies and for the critical role that emerging defense industries play in shaping Europe’s future security landscape. The trip not only complemented my studies at Fletcher but also reinforced my professional commitment to understanding how technology, industry, and strategy intersect in modern warfare. It was, in every sense, an inspiring and intellectually rewarding journey.
J.P. Green, MALD ’27
Strategic Strength, Political Strain: Poland’s Balancing Act on NATO’s Eastern Flank
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Poland has emerged as one of Europe’s powerhouses in regard to European security. Poland’s geography, defense spending, strong economy, and political will, have placed the country as the hub of NATO’s eastern flank. Poland’s strategic achievements have transformed Poland into a regional provider of deterrence, logistics, and defense industrial capacity. While Poland sits as a prominent security actor at the forefront of NATO, its ability to sustain a consistent long term security policy is dependent on its unstable political grounding. As it stands, Poland remains divided with nationalist conservatives and pro-EU liberals. Within the last 10 years Poland has had its fair share of democratic backsliding[i] from state capture of public media, to significantly weakening judicial independence, much to the dismay of the EU. If Poland is to remain strong against Russian aggression, it must maintain not only its arms and alliances, but it also must maintain its democracy within.
The political divide today and the past erosion of Poland’s democracy could have several consequences for Poland’s role as a security hub and therefore NATO’s ability to maintain a secure Europe. First, there is the matter of policy inconsistency. Poland’s government has a president for the head of state and a prime minister for the head of government. Poland’s recent presidential elections have split the country putting a nationalist conservative president, a Eurosceptic now with the power to veto legislation, at odds with a pro-EU government. This has often resulted in one party trying to undo the other’s policies in an attempt to score political points among their divided constituents. For example, in August 2025, President Nawrocki vetoed aid to Ukrainian refugees[ii] from Tusk’s government and has resurfaced historical grievances between Poland and Ukraine[iii]. This has major implications on the relationship between Poland and Ukraine as Ukraine goes through its war. There is a clear opposing of ideas for the future of Poland. Frequent shifts in tone in conjunction with legislative gridlock risks confusing allies and partners.
In addition, The U.S. and NATO rely on Poland as a stable logistics and forward-deployment site. While NATO operates by consensus, the stark division between the two Polish parties in power could allow one party to obstruct policies it dislikes affecting trust among allies, prolonging decisions, and undermining its legitimacy. This also highlights vulnerabilities as polarized societies are more vulnerable to disinformation and foreign interference, something Russia exploits frequently.
While Poland has experienced some democratic backsliding, recent trends from 2023 under a Tusk government have shown a partial democratic recovery. This is evidenced by its reforms in public media as well as Poland’s ability to unblock 137 billion euros in recovery and cohesion funds that had been denied to Poland by the EU[iv]. In addition, Poland remains strongly supportive of NATO and is anti-Russian across party lines. However, consistent and long-term institutional polarization means slower progress, and future elections could easily reverse reforms.
Poland’s growth as a military power is one of NATO’s greatest strengths, but its democratic instability remains a potential liability. The strength of NATO lies not just in tanks or troops but in shared governance standards that ensure transparency, stability, and unity. If Poland’s internal politics once again slide toward authoritarianism, it could undermine trust with its allies, complicate strategic ties, and encourage adversaries seeking to exploit divisions. The future of NATO’s eastern flank depends as much on Warsaw’s democracy as on its army bases and artillery.
Reflection
It was an honor to be part of Fletcher’s delegation to The Warsaw Security Forum of 2025. The two day conference had multiple themes that largely centered around European and NATO unity, building preventative measures, drone warfare, and dealing with hybrid threats. In addition, the conference had an impressive amount of world leaders ranging from Jens Stoltenberg, Donald Tusk, Volodymyr Zelensky, and more discussing important policy issues and the future of NATO. While it was fascinating to see world leaders I often see on tv give speeches, I would consistently hear the same talking points around slogans such as “Europe needs to be strong” and “together we are stronger”. What added to the speeches were the roundtables, questions from the audience, and networking breaks that I found drove conversations, and guided the event into more specific actionable items from weapons manufacturing, internal politics, and more. The networking tables also contributed greatly to my learning. The forum had people from all different kinds of backgrounds which I was proud to see. In addition to the conference, I really enjoyed the dinners with Fletcher alumni and discussions with academics and journalists. It was extremely insightful to see how others saw the world and how they used their craft to draw meaningful insights about the state of the world we live in today. Overall the Warsaw Security Forum 2025 trip was a great learning experience that I was proud to be a part of and contribute to.
[i] Csaky, Zselyke . 2024. “The Difficulties of Restoring Democracy in Poland.” Centre for European Reform. 2024. https://www.cer.eu/insights/difficulties-restoring-democracy-poland.
[ii] Service, RFE/RL’s Ukrainian. 2025. “Polish President’s Decision to Veto Aid to Ukrainian Refugees Prompts Political Storm.” RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. RFE/RL. August 27, 2025. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-poland-nawrocki-tusk-refugees-trzaskowski/33514064.html.
[iii] “As Nawrocki Becomes Polish President, Grievances with Ukraine Resurface: Why History Still Divides Warsaw and Kyiv?” 2025. Links. August 23, 2025. https://links.org.au/nawrocki-becomes-polish-president-grievances-ukraine-resurface-why-history-still-divides-warsaw-and.
[iv] “Brussels Moves to Close Rule of Law Procedure against Poland.” 2024. Euronews. May 6, 2024. https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/05/06/brussels-moves-to-close-rule-of-law-procedure-against-poland.