Comparative Analysis of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and European Union Strategy on Central Asia: Confrontation or Cooperation?

Comparative Analysis of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and European Union Strategy on Central Asia: Confrontation or Cooperation?

Author(s): Danylo Stonis / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: European Union; connectivity; Central Asia; Shanghai Cooperation Organisation; Shanghai Spirit

In 2021, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) turned 20 years old. With “Shanghai Spirit” as its guiding principle, the scope of SCO’s activity has significantly expanded, recently adding India and Pakistan to its members. As a result, SCO policy has heavily influenced the Central Asia region. In response, in 2019, the EU launched a new strategy for Central Asia, adopting “connectivity” as its core concept. As a result, both SCO and EU strategies in Central Asia tend to conflict with each other, thus leading to uneven and inconsistent development of the region. Therefore, this paper aims to identify contradictions between SCO’s “Shanghai Spirit” guiding principle and the EU’s concept of “connectivity” by comparing the SCO and EU strategies toward Central Asia. The methodology in the paper involves a qualitative comparative method, including two qualitative case studies, represented by the SCO’s “Shanghai Spirit” and the EU’s concept of “connectivity” in their strategies on Central Asia. The article concludes that contestation between the SCO and the EU policies in Central Asia impedes stable development of the region, and therefore, a compromise between both policies in Central Asia is suggested.

Toxic Ticking Time-Bomb in the Baltic Sea and Threats to Poland’s Security

Toxic Ticking Time-Bomb in the Baltic Sea and Threats to Poland’s Security

Author(s): Rafał Willa,Agnieszka Szpak / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: Baltic Sea; chemical weapons; chemical waste; wrecks; international law; Poland

The authors examine the threats from hazardous toxic materials from World War II wrecks sunk in the Baltic Sea and their cargo of chemical ammunition, indicate Poland’s reaction to this situation, and map out Polish obligations in this regard. This problem gives rise to multiple uncertainties about the exact nature of threats to environmental/ecological security, marine security, human security (including health security), economic security and food safety. The authors also elaborate on legal regulations relevant in this context. The research methods include formal-institutional analysis of relevant legal documents and discourse analysis. The main conclusions are: 1. toxic materials in the Baltic Sea threaten ecological, economic, human and security; 2. food safety in all Baltic states might be endangered; Poland should accede to the Nairobi Wreck Removal Convention; and Poland should cooperate regionally to resolve the problem of the Baltic chemical waste.

Insurrectionist Anarchism and Liberational Violence: New Ideas and Trends

Insurrectionist Anarchism and Liberational Violence: New Ideas and Trends

Author(s): Elżbieta Posłuszna / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: anarchism; insurrectionist anarchism; Conspiracy of Cells of Fire; leaderless resistance; liberational violence

The paper characterises contemporary fighting anarchism from the ideological, tactical, and organisational perspectives. An analysis is carried out that examines the activities of the groups revoking insurrectionism, which today entails three ideological trends, namely social, individualistic (illegalism), and ecological. In the author’s intention, the characteristics should serve practical goals, i.e., forming a prognosis regarding the phenomenon's future and drawing possible ways to counteract its proliferation in a further perspective. Contemporary anarchism, due to its intellectual allure (liberationist individualism), broadening the scope of its goals (with the liberation of non-human beings), adopting loose organisational forms, as well as employing the leaderless resistance strategy and swarming, is a phenomenon that has significant development potential. The development of anarchism, due to ongoing socio-political processes (the collapse of the existing mechanisms of social control and political representation, globalisation, informatisation) and the widely spreading ideology of individualism will lead to, as it seems, progressive radicalism, both in ideology and used methods.

Assessment of the Labour Market During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Assessment of the Labour Market During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author(s): Anna Borucka,Anna Chapska,Ewa Żaboklicka,Rafał Parczewski / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: labour market; COVID-19 pandemic; deaths; unemployment; Poland

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted governments to take radical measures to contain the virus and protect their citizens. These included successive restrictions on social distance, which have led to closing many enterprises in various industries and dismissing their employees. Introducing restrictions has significantly weakened many countries’ economies. Stock markets have noted sharp declines. Therefore, public protection has led to severe consequences for the labour market. Attempts at defining them have been undertaken in the body of literature. However, they focus mainly on analysing selected indicators. According to the authors, it is worth analysing the correlation between the number of deaths as the variable that best reflects the disease’s severity and selected unemployment rates. It was assumed that the number of deaths is a factor significantly distinguishing the periods before and after the pandemic. Therefore, it is possible to assess the correlation between the pandemic and the labour market condition.

Four Problems of De Facto State Studies: A Central European Perspective

Four Problems of De Facto State Studies: A Central European Perspective

Author(s): Marcin Kosienkowski / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: De facto state; contested state; unrecognised state; definitional problems; inductive case studies; established concepts

De facto states are entities that resemble normal states, except for one difference: they lack international recognition or enjoy it only to a limited extent. Scott Pegg initiated a scholarly inquiry on these entities in 1998 when he published his seminal book, International Society and the De Facto State. Counting about twenty years after the birth of de facto state studies, scholars have started publishing their reflections on the problems that these studies face and directions for future research. I follow this reflective trend in my essay, drawing on my nearly two-decade-long experience of researching de facto states. More precisely, I discuss four problems of de facto state studies and suggest how they can be solved. These problems are as follows: 1. no consensus on a definition of a de facto state, 2. imperfect existing definitions, 3. insufficient engagement with the non-Western literature, and 4. indifference to other concepts and frameworks when studying de facto states.

War in Ukraine as a Factor Determining the Scope of Judicial Review of Public Administration in Poland: Remarks on the Municipal Resolutions Providing Aid for Ukrainian Local and Regional Communities

War in Ukraine as a Factor Determining the Scope of Judicial Review of Public Administration in Poland: Remarks on the Municipal Resolutions Providing Aid for Ukrainian Local and Regional Communities

Author(s): Jakub Grzegorz Firlus / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: war in Ukraine; Polish judicial review; doctrine of deference; Polish selfgovernment

This paper aims to determine whether the war in Ukraine will affect the scope of judicial verification of public administration in Poland. According to new legislation (the socalled Aid Act), which Polish Parliament passed shortly after February 24, 2022, the Polish municipalities (cities) are entitled to provide aid for local foreign communities, especially those within the borders of Ukraine. The basis for such aid will take the form of a proper municipal or city council resolution. The main issue concerning this form of aid is the necessity of applying Ukrainian law, at least in the context of decoding who is entitled to be a beneficiary. Against this background, it is vital to determine whether such circumstances as war and humanitarian reasons should affect the scope of judicial review. In theory, two approaches are available, formalism and judicial relativism which both are inappropriate. The author argues that the doctrine of deference, as understood by justice A. Scalia must be applied to secure both rule of law principle and the legitimacy of administrative courts in Poland. The main subject of the analysis was the content of the law, which was the starting point for analysing the views of the doctrine and jurisprudence. Due to the international nature of the issue, it was necessary to refer to the achievements of Ukrainian law.

Restoring the Distinctiveness of Politics: On the Political and the Forms of Rule

Restoring the Distinctiveness of Politics: On the Political and the Forms of Rule

Author(s): Clifford A. Bates,Trevor Shelley / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: the political; Aristotle; forms; the economic; ruling

We argue that the current understanding of politics is caught in a tug of war between “economistic” and “postmodern” views, neither of which captures the distinctiveness of political rule and consequently instills confusion among citizens and misplaced expectations from leaders. Drawing largely on Aristotle, who warned precisely against this error, we consider the logic of mastery and contrast it to paternal rule. Then we discuss the voluntary nature of economic activity to distinguish it from the involuntary nature of mastery, before turning to discuss the political proper, which is a combination or mixture of these two that nevertheless makes it qualitatively distinct. These distinctions help us to better appreciate what is a likeness between political and economic, on the one hand, and between political and paternal, on the other while realising that political rule is not exhausted by either economic or paternal alone. The paper seeks to show that political rule finds itself as an in-between condition that balances itself against despotic, mastery, and the kind of care that paternal rule points to.

A Local Referendum in Ukraine and the Republic of Poland – A Comparative Analysis

A Local Referendum in Ukraine and the Republic of Poland – A Comparative Analysis

Author(s): Oleh Ilnytskyi,Bogusław Przywora / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: local referendum; Constitution of the Republic of Ukraine; Constitution of the Republic of Poland; comparative legal analysis

We present the institution of a local referendum from a comparative perspective on the example of legal regulations in Ukraine and Poland. The study is the result of the ongoing research of the two Authors and is of crucial importance in the current political situation – the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Hence, it is relevant both nationally, Europe-wide and internationally. The analysis includes a legal comparative analysis of institutions and an attempt to assess their effectiveness. The authors point out that there is a need for effective ‘safeguarding’ in Ukraine to prevent the referendum from being used as a political instrument (at hoc), against the will of the people. The analysis uses a dogmatic and comparative legal method and draws on the authors’ experience of holding local referendums. This research may be useful not only for the researchers of the local government law but also for the legislators.

A Local Government Party in Poland? Casus of National League Association

A Local Government Party in Poland? Casus of National League Association

Author(s): Dominik Szczepański / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: local government party; right-wing; local elections; local government

The purpose of this paper was to present ideas related to the creation of a self-government party in Poland, bringing together representatives of local authorities, community activists and all those for whom the idea of local self-government built „from the bottom up” was close to their hearts. The idea of creating a local government party appeared several times in discussions of members of Liga Krajowa association, which was an active entity on the political scene, a member of Electoral Action Solidarity of the Right, from the list of which League had its parliamentary representation. These concepts first appeared at the basis of the association's formation and then had a close connection with its further presence on the political scene. The local government party was supposed to be an electoral platform with a specific right-wing and centre-right political orientation, as well as to be the most important support for representatives of local authorities, but all efforts in this regard failed.

Arab Nationalism in Syria

Arab Nationalism in Syria

Author(s): Anita Adamczyk,Fuad Jomma / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: Syria; pan-Arabism; Arab nationalism; Alawites

Syria is one of many countries in the Middle East diverse in terms of religion, nationality, and ethnicity. Internal divisions emerged when Syria reclaimed independence in 1946, but the differences inside Syrian society have become a taboo. One of the reasons for that was Arab nationalism, which claimed that they were all Arabs. The Syrian authorities managed to maintain the appearance of national homogeneity owing to these claims. This article aims to show the uniqueness of Arab nationalism, which is not characteristic of one country but of numerous states sharing a common past, language, and their citizens belonging to the family of the Arab nation. As a case study for Syria, this article analyses the basic concepts relevant to the subject (nationalism, the nation from the perspective of Islam, and Arab thought), the roots of pan-Arabism in Syria and its presence in the public and legal space. It also attempts to demonstrate that Arab nationalism helped the Syrian authorities (represented by the Alawite minority) blur national, ethnic, and religious differences and thus preserve the unity of society and state.

Paradigms of the Sick, Healthy, and Normal Security in Social Sciences

Paradigms of the Sick, Healthy, and Normal Security in Social Sciences

Author(s): Bogusław Jagusiak / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: sick society and security; healthy society and security; normal society and security; biophilic way of life; necrophilic way of life

One of the many divisions of security exposed in the literature dealing with it is the ambivalent division into positive and negative security, which sometimes, somehow combined and mutually limiting, manifest themselves in normal and real security. Starting from this distinction, I develop their descriptions based on Erich Fromm’s explanations of a healthy, sick, and normal society. Simultaneously, I argue that sick societies pursue negative security by preferring war and destruction, while healthy societies pursue positive security by preferring love, peace, and creative activity. It is a preference based on striving, in the case of a healthy society and positive security, “to be”, as Fromm states, and in the case of a sick society and negative security, “to have”, and finally, in the case of normal security, to mutually limiting “to have” and “to be”. I deepen this description by referring to the thought of Bertrand Russell, in which positive and good security is defined “as one that should be by itself”, and negative and bad “as one that should not be by itself”. On the other hand, by bolding and broadening this description, I associate positive security (based on “to be”) with the concept of “civilisation of love”, “civilization of life”, and “civilization of brotherhood”, while negative security (embedded in “to have”) with “civilisation of killing”, “civilisation of overkilling”, and “civilisation of death”, and finally, normal security (embedded on mutually limiting “to be” and “to have”) with the liberal civilisation of security and control.

Disinformation in Polish Society in 2021 – Trends, Topics, Channels of Transmission

Disinformation in Polish Society in 2021 – Trends, Topics, Channels of Transmission

Author(s): Katarzyna Chałubińska-Jentkiewicz,Urszula Soler,Anna Makuch / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2023

Keywords: information security; information warfare; disinformation; psywar; media manipulation; information digitalisation

A questionnaire-based study conducted in October 2021 provided analytical material on the degree and sources of disinformation in Polish society. The material has representative qualities and is the first comprehensive research project in Poland to cover issues regarding information security in such breadth and detail. The paper aims to analyse and present a study on disinformation in Polish society conducted on a representative group of Poles in 2021. The project's key research questions are: How receptive is the Polish public to disinformation content? What are the channels of information provided to Poles? Is the notion of disinformation familiar to the Polish audience, and do the recipients of media content search for methods to verify disinformation? The analysis and interpretation of the results identified some important features of the Polish disinformation map. The concept of disinformation is now commonly familiar to the Polish public (86%), and the sensitivity to content credibility can be regarded as high; the respondents were found to verify information, actively searching through various sources. Disinformation is rife in climate, energy (52%), and health (44%).

Holocaust survivors: A demographic overview

Holocaust survivors: A demographic overview

Author(s): Martyna Grądzka-Rejak / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2019

Keywords: Holocaust survivors

Jews were an integral part of society in the Second Polish Republic. They had lived in the Polish lands for centuries, while remaining religiously, linguistically and culturally distinct. Some members of this community showed a tendency towards assimilation and acculturation. The co-existence of Poles and Jews was disrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War and the German occupation. The Germans strove to annihilate all Jews regardless of age or sex. Their policies resulted in the death of over 2.7 million Jews, pre-war citizens of the Second Polish Republic. Although 70 years have passed since the end of the Second World War, discussions still continue among historians as to the number of Jewish victims and survivors. Attempts are made to arrive at precise figures, insofar as this is possible. The aim of the article is to discuss findings to date and to highlight the problems encountered by scholars trying to estimate the percentage of Polish Jews who survived the German occupation. To illustrate the methodological difficulties, I use the example of the Jewish community of Kraków and the demographic changes that it underwent.

Urszula Glensk "Hirszfeldowie. Zrozumieć krew" [The Hirszfelds. Understanding blood]

Urszula Glensk "Hirszfeldowie. Zrozumieć krew" [The Hirszfelds. Understanding blood]

Author(s): Agnieszka Witkowska-Krych / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2019

Andrzej Skalimowski "Sigalin. Towarzysz odbudowy" [Sigalin. Comrade architect]

Andrzej Skalimowski "Sigalin. Towarzysz odbudowy" [Sigalin. Comrade architect]

Author(s): Bartłomiej Kapica / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2019

Adriana Merta-Staszczak "Niechciane dziedzictwo: nieruchomości zabytkowe na Dolnym Śląsku w latach 1945–1989" [Unwanted heritage: Historic property in Lower Silesia in the years 1945–1989]

Adriana Merta-Staszczak "Niechciane dziedzictwo: nieruchomości zabytkowe na Dolnym Śląsku w latach 1945–1989" [Unwanted heritage: Historic property in Lower Silesia in the years 1945–1989]

Author(s): Mikołaj Getka-Kenig / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2019

Postmodern consumer. New trends in purchasing behavior and their consequences for marketing

Konsument ponowoczesny. Nowe trendy w zachowaniach nabywczych i ich konsekwencje dla marketingu

Author(s): Agnieszka Kacprzak-Choińska / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2007

Keywords: postmodern consumer

Niniejszy artykuł ma na celu przedstawienie ponowoczesnego typu konsumpcji. Przedstawione są w nim wybrane trendy społeczno-kulturowe, charakterystyczne dla społeczeństwa postmodernistycznego. Jako kryterium wyboru została przyjęta siła ich oddziaływania na zachowania współczesnych konsumentów. Omówione są w związku z tym takie zjawiska jak: konsumpcyjne nastawienie do życia, ekologizacja zachowań nabywczych, wirtualizacja życia oraz poszukiwanie nowych wspólnot, określane jako plemienność. Rozważane są również konsekwencje, jakie niesie ponowoczesny model konsumenta dla praktyki działań marketingowych przedsiębiorstwa, oraz kwestia występowania ponowoczesnej konsumpcji w polskich realiach.

Pope Francis, Common Sense and Contemporary Ecological Science (The Green New Deal as Neo-Catharism in Drag)

Pope Francis, Common Sense and Contemporary Ecological Science (The Green New Deal as Neo-Catharism in Drag)

Author(s): Peter A. Redpath / Language(s): English / Issue: 30/2020

Keywords: Pope Francis; ecology; Romano Guardini; Leftist Green New Deal;

Before starting my presentation today, I want to thank Professor Piotr Jaroszyńki for, once again, inviting me to give a tale at this annual Man in Culture international conference. While I would much prefer to be able to be present with you physically in Poland, I am pleased I can at least join you virtually today to speak about an issue of pressing historical and philosophical importance.

Climate-change education: more ideology than science?

Climate-change education: more ideology than science?

Author(s): Curtis L. Hancock / Language(s): English / Issue: 30/2020

Keywords: Climate-change education; global warming; CO2 concentrations; extreme events;

A few years ago, a commercial for Nissan motors, advertising its environmentally friendly, electric-powered car, named the Leaf, ran frequently on American television. It captured one’s interest and even had a certain charm. The commercial opened with arresting images of glaciers melting and arctic ice crashing into the sea. The camera zooms into a lone polar bear, looking forlorn, adrift on a small patch of ice. Next, we see the polar bear swimming miles to a distant shore. Coming to land, he finds himself in a populated metropolitan area, where he walks relatively unnoticed (go figure). Eventually, he appears on the driveway of a Nissan owner. He approaches the owner who is about to enter his car. The polar bear embraces him. The motorist reciprocates with a generous hug of his own. The message, not lost on even the casual viewer, was twofold: (1) global warming is a threat to our planet’s survival, and (2) already global warming is a threat to the survival of polar bears. The commercial was bound to be effective in the United States, since tens of thousands of American school children, as a matter of educational policy, were subjected to Al Gore’s sensational film, An Inconvenient Truth.

Title of the book: Writing Research Proposals in the Social Sciences and Humanities: A theoretical and Practical Guide by Jayadeva Uyangoda

Title of the book: Writing Research Proposals in the Social Sciences and Humanities: A theoretical and Practical Guide by Jayadeva Uyangoda

Author(s): Y. Anuradha Iddagoda / Language(s): English / Issue: 30/2020

Keywords: Jayadeva Uyangoda; research methodology; research philosophy; Hypothesis Building; Research questions; Formulating a Research Problem; Objectives;

Review of: Writing Research Proposals in the Social Sciences and Humanities: A theoretical and Practical Guide by Jayadeva Uyangoda, Published by: Social Scientists’ Association, No.12, Sulaiman Terrace, Colombo 5, Sri Lanka, 2015, ISBN: 978-955-0762-35-4, pp. 138