This is CBSI in the world. I'm John Bats with Judy Dempsey, the editor-in-chief of Strategic

Europe. She's in Berlin. And last, we had a conversation about Poland and its challenge

to the EU's understanding of transparency and democracy and equal before the law, because

the law and justice party in Poland is to be blunt, extremely assertive, and not especially

neat, and it's tying up how it uses the courts. Right now, there's something called the Russian

Influence Commission, which operates pretty much like a star chamber, as I understand it,

though my Polish doesn't permit me to understand the nuance of the headlines. We come now to

Poland asserting its primacy in NATO. Remember Poland is the route into Ukraine. All the weapon

system is flowing there now in the act of combat. In addition, Poland has absorbed unknown

millions of Ukrainians fleeing the war and continues to host them. So this headline now becomes

needed, we need to interpret this. Walter Turner, Poland says no to another Nordic NATO

chief, splitting alliance. Subhead Warsaw said to oppose frontrunner Danish Prime Minister

and to favor Estonian leader. The Danish Prime Minister is Mata Friedrichsen and the frontrunner

for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's change of Secretary General. Young Stoltenberg

said to be stepping down, and therefore, Judy, thank you very much for this. Now I'm lost

in the intricacies of the EU. Why would Poland Warsaw object to a new Secretary General

at NATO from Denmark? Does this fall naturally into an unknown category, or is there a back

story to this? Thank you. This is a story about Poland wanting to push its candidate to replace

the other Stoltenberg as NATO Secretary General. And actually, I'm surprised that the Polish

government is so hostile or opposed to the Danish candidate. Denmark has a tradition of

understanding Russia, being very tough in Russia. They are an extraordinary strategic

pair of such a small country. Their scope and breadth of what they do militarily is very impressive.

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