“This is a very bad development for the international system”, said Kuźniar, a University of Warsaw professor who served as foreign-policy adviser to Poland’s president from 2010-15. He backed UN secretary-general António Guterres’s warning of “dangerous escalation”, arguing the strikes violate fundamental legal norms.
Kuźniar called the strikes “a brazen breach of international law” taken without clear evidence Iran was close to building a bomb.
“Even two months ago US intelligence ruled that out – until President Donald Trump publicly berated his own spy chief,” he noted.
Recalling the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Kuźniar said America is again setting “a dangerous precedent” that rivals may copy.
“Russia already used the Iraq example to justify force; other major powers may now feel free to ignore the rules as well”.
The analyst warned reliance on “naked force” by Washington and Israel imperils weaker states such as Poland. He accused the United States of acting chiefly in Israel’s interest, calling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “a Middle-Eastern Putin” whose political fortunes benefit from confrontation.
Kuźniar predicted Tehran, militarily weaker, would limit itself to indirect retaliation once “the dust settles”, while many Arab Sunni governments, though alarmed by U.S. and Israeli attacks, “do not sympathize with Iran”.
Long-term consequences could include regional re-armament and fresh interest in nuclear deterrence. “Some countries will seriously ask whether the North Korean path is the safest”, he said.
He also said the strikes send “a bad signal for NATO”: the alliance’s leading power acts unilaterally and may drag partners into needless wars, undermining its own credibility.
Asked about reaction inside the pro-Trump MAGA movement, Kuźniar forecast initial objections would give way to applause. “I remember the forced patriotism after [the invasion on] Iraq in 2004; few dared criticize”.
(jh)
Source: PAP