Lukashenko’s hybrid warfare: Poland’s response to the man-made migration crisis (2021-2023)

The Master’s thesis “Lukashenko’s hybrid warfare: Poland’s response to the man-made migration crisis (2021-2023)” is a comprehensive research on the events which took place on the border between Belarus and Poland starting from 2021. In the thesis, there are three main focus areas. They are - the interests of the key actors, namely, Belarus, Poland, and the European Union; the issue of interpretation of legal regulations regarding the rights of migrants; and the role of propaganda and mass media within a hybrid war. The main research problem of the thesis is Poland’s dilemma in upholding the obligations deriving from ratified human rights treaties, while ensuring its national interest in safeguarding territorial integrity. Additionally, the question on how public opinion can be impacted by informational warfare. The objectives of the research is to analyse what was the response of the Polish government to the large inflow of migrants, including, but not limited to, what policies were implemented, how was the crisis communicated with the Polish society, as well as Poland’s rights and obligations during the crisis deriving from international legal norms. The results of the research are that there had to be more incentives from the European Union to tackle the crisis; there is a lack of legal mechanism to adjudicate Belarusian authorities for being a perpetrator of this event due to Belarus not being signatory member of most human rights agreements; and that Polish authorities have to take measures to educate its society about the negative consequences propaganda can cause on the perception of the crisis.