Participation of Poland in peace and stabilization Missions early in the 21st century

At the time of Cold War, Poland participated in UN missions and operations, and after its conclusion - with the expansion of the functions of OSCE, NATO and EU - it began tb participate also in operations and missions set up by these institutions, becoming one of the prime contributors to peace and stabilization operations. In November 2007, paws were participating in 17 operations conducted mostly by the United Nations, NATO and EU. In most cases, Poland, participates through the presence of military forces, and organization of police, training, advisory and observation missions. Poles perform at very broader rangę of tasks, participating in militaiy operations, peaćemaking, peacekeeping, peace enforcement, and peace building. The variety of tasks performed by Polish armed forces and the lessons learned during overseas operations defined the main directions of changes in the Polish army. Participation in peace and stabilization operations is one of the Instruments of enhancing the prestige of Poland on the international stage. In the world, Polish soldiers enjoy a very good opinion, as highly professional and competent. Nevertheless, in 2007 for the first time in the history of Polish participation in peace operations, Polish soldiers serving in Afghanistan were accused of breaking intemational conventions, concerning protection of civilians in armed conflicts. Besides this, the image of Poland in Europe and Arab states was spoilt by its participation in the military operation in Iraq (2003), the city legal from the point of view of international law. Following the announcements of the new Polish govemment acting since November 2007, Poland will fulfill its international obligations and continued involvement in peace and stabilization operations, although without further presence in Iraq, would Polish forces are to be withdrawn in 2008