A Case for the Coexistence of Security and 'Open' Borders on the Polish-Russian Borderland.

Since the fall of communism in 1989 and the opening up of borders afterwards, the EU has had a number of anomalous and specific border cases. Each of these must be treated differently based on historical and geographic considerations. It must also be taken into account how these borders function concerning security matters. This paper looks at the Polish - Russian border and how it is being managed by the Republic of Poland. The paper argues that securitization and border permeability should not be thought of as competing forces. Instead they are part of a wider picture and should be treated as balancing forces. The paper likewise argues that Poland is maintaining a balancing act between these two forces by allowing both securitizing the border as it sees fit and allowing the legislation of the Small Border Traffic (SBT) zone to continue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]