UN General Assembly
2012

when faced with f lagrant violations of human rights on a mass scale and crimes and suffering that call for rapid reaction, as in Syria these days, depends largely upon the credibility of our action in previous such situations. We must always act in good faith and in line with the mandate given to us. I am speaking on behalf of a country that, over the past 20 years, has managed to travel the difficult road from a totalitarian regime, the collapse of its economy and mass social unrest curbed by force to democratic stability, economic growth and the ability to support peaceful transformations beyond its borders. Thirty years ago, when martial law was imposed in order to crush the Solidarity revolution, it was suggested that Poland’s attempt to enter the world of democracy would entail potential imbalances between the East and West, and even a war between the Warsaw Pact nations and NATO — in effect, a world war. Fortunately, those days are gone. Hardly anyone would think in such terms now. Today, Poland is a free