Powrót „Imperium zła”

The title of the book refers to the famous characterisation of the USSR expressed by Ronald Reagan in a 1983 speech. As the Cold War era entered its decline, this was recognised as a good description of the moral aspect of the struggle between America and communist Russia, one that has taken on added significance due to the war happening today in Ukraine. Inquiring as to the genesis of the formulation “the evil empire”, Nowak points to the writings of several authors with Polish roots: Richard Pipes, Leopold Łabędź and Adam Ulam. All of these, he suggests, transplanted the reflections of Polish Sovietology onto American soil, which brought with it a great sensitivity to the threat from Poland’s eastern neighbour. An important source of this understanding of the Tsarist empire, and its revolutionary continuation, as a mortal threat to the world, is constituted by the writings of Zygmunt Krasiński. Nowak also reminds us of this great nineteenth-century writer and thinker, who fascinates us with his deep and prophetic insights into Russia.

The final chapter of the book is closest to our difficult contemporary situation, as it touches upon Putin’s view of historical topics. In the interpretation of our Polish Sovietologist, these texts make clear to our eyes the political strivings of the Russian government in pursuit of the realisation of its timeless goals of “great Russian” expansion. Now, as the Kremlin sees it, one of the chief obstacles to Russia’s realisation of its dreams of hegemony is Poland – which might, for the Western reader, come as something of a surprise.

The author of The Evil Empire Returns focuses our attention on one significant detail: the word “Poland” opens Putin’s infamous article which appeared in the June 2020 issue of The National Interest, foretelling the present crisis.