Two Polish commentators argue in the NYT that the current regime resembles the intolerant right-wing authoritarian government that existed between 1925 and 1939. Are they right?
Yes, but the important thing to remember here is that the circumstances are far different. World War I brought all three of the powers that partitioned Poland to their knees, and the Poles defeated the Red Army before Warsaw in 1920; as a result, it was reasonable at the time to think that Poland could defend itself without much assistance. Today’s Polish government has no chance of protecting its borders from the Russians; it has to rely on its EU partners and NATO to keep it completely sovereign.
In short, the likelihood that the EU countries will agree to continue protecting Poland, while the latter ignores EU directives and hurls abuse at Brussels, is not great. The current regime, unlike the interwar version, is a beggar; it cannot be a chooser in the long run.