Citizens in Poland are paying a democratic price for the shale gas and missile defence policies pursued by their government

Poland has taken one of the strongest lines against Russia during the Ukraine crisis. Edyta Materka argues, however, that some of the key elements in Poland’s wider foreign policy strategy have had a negative impact on Polish citizens. She writes that both Poland’s agreement to host a missile defence project as part of an alliance with the United States, and the country’s exploration of shale gas as an alternative to Russian gas imports, have come at the expense of the interests of citizens located in the affected areas.