Ironically, the decision to send that small contingent of troops to Iraq earlier this year was opposed by a clear majority of the Polish public. The main reason was the widespread belief that we have no business sending our troops outside our own borders. That might not be terribly smart, but it is understandable: Poles are tired of politics, be it national or international, and their greatest hope is to be left in peace. The government, it is true, made no effort to swing public opinion around, and in retrospect, that was probably wise: the current government is the most unpopular of any since 1989 (and the competition for that honour is stiff). When it actively campaigned for the “yes” vote in the referendum on EU accession, the outcome was in doubt to the last moment, despite the fact that rejoining Europe has been the ambition of generations of Poles.

Sending troops to Iraq after the fall of Saddam is a different proposition altogether, and even some who supported the war have been critical of Poland’s deepening involvement. It is doubtful whether the remnants of public support can hold up once the bodies start being shipped back home, as they inevitably will. But at least, for the first time since 1939, Poland is free to make its own decisions on the international scene—and its own mistakes.