STUDIES AND ANYLYSES

Accountability of political power as an element of strengthening democracy and increasing its quality: example of Poland

Łukasz Brzezicki
Ustka City Hall

Abstract: The purpose of this article is to identify appropriate accountability mechanisms necessary to be implemented in the Polish political sphere, which correspond to changes in civilization. The research problem concerned the consideration of the legitimacy of implementing mechanisms and tools of full accountability of the political sphere, based on elements of e-democracy. The primary method was analysis and critical literature review. In the first part selected problems of contemporary democracy are presented. In the second part there are presented proposals of mechanisms and tools which would fully introduce the principle of accountability of political power in Poland. One of the reasons for the decreasing trust in democracy and its quality is the lack or weak accountability mechanisms of political power. The results of the scientific analysis indicate that the process of implementing the principle of full accountability must be preceded by two necessary actions. The first step is to implement the concept of e-democracy proposed by the European Parliament, then the provisions included in the European Agenda for Democracy. In order to implement full accountability, must be introduced clear criteria for comparison, analysis, selection and enforcement of political sanctions.
Keywords: democracy, politics, transparency, accountability, political party, election

Changes in Russian primary and secondary education during the reign of Nicholas I

Piotr Koprowski
University of Gdańsk

Abstract: The article presents the specificity and significance of changes in Russian primary and secondary education during the reign of Tsar Nicholas I (1825–1855). Attention was drawn to two specific acts in this context: the Act of Gymnasiums, Poviat and Parish Schools of 1828 and the Act on School Districts of 1835 and the accompanying ideological context. Schools were supposed not only to provide students with specific substantive knowledge, but also to instill in them the belief that autocracy and Orthodoxy are the foundation of Russia’s strength and power, and that the tsar is a father to all his subjects.
Keywords: primary and secondary education, Nicholas I, theory of “official nationality”, ideologization of education, religious education

Changes in Polish dramatic theater during the political transformation after 1989

Paulina Wenderlich
Kazimierz Wielki University

Abstract: The aim of the paper is to show the changes that took place in Polish dramatic theater (the subject of research) after 1989 in the context of the political transformation in Poland and to indicate the origins and effects of these changes. The research problem is contained in the analysis of the impact of social and / or political factors on the institution of dramatic theater in Poland, with particular emphasis on the period from the second half of the 1990s, when the „new theater” trend was born, realized in the spirit of engaged theater. Highlighting the institutional dimension of theater is important because it emphasizes its importance in public life. In the research process, the observation of Polish theatrical life (artistic products and accompanying social and political phenomena) and the text sources analysis were used.
Keywords: dramatic theater, Poland, engaged art, political transformation after 1989

National Geographic and the global mission to protect the planet

Radosław Sajna-Kunowsky
Kazimierz Wielki University

Abstract: This article focuses on the National Geographic magazine as part of the National Geographic Society’s global mission. In the face of environmental degradation and global warming, this mission – related to the protection of the planet – is of particular importance, and the numerous international editions of the magazine (including the Polish edition) are to contribute to increasing awareness and mobilizing societies in various parts of the world. The research question is: What topics related to the protection of the planet are most often taken up in the Polish edition of the National Geographic? The media content analysis was used, which showed that environmental problems are the most important element of the NGS mission related to the protection of the planet, and the most frequently undertaken topics concern specific places (less frequently specific species of animals), fascinating (and problematic) from the natural point of view, as well as environmental problems from a global perspective. In special editions, the magazine presents the condition of the Earth, and problems related to the natural environment (including climate change) are presented in an alarmist tone, suggesting, however, possible actions to protect the planet.
Keywords: National Geographic, media, global mission, planet, environment

The low-emission strategy of the European Union and the issue of energy and ecological security of Poland

Anna Bałamut
Krakowska Akademia im. Andrzeja Frycza Modrzewskiego

Abstract: The aim of the article is to show the direction of the energy and climate policy of the European Union (EU), Poland’s energy and environmental security strategy and solutions that may increase the competitiveness of the Polish energy sector. The article focuses on activities since 2015 that confirm the zero-emission direction taken by the EU. A solution that is so good for the natural environment is difficult to accept by countries that base their economy on non-renewable energy sources. An example can be Poland, where it is difficult to talk about energy and climate security in the long term. renewable energy sources (RES) are still not a pillar of the energy mix. There is a visible potential for the development of the biomass, solar energy and wind energy markets, but, for example, investments at the local level need a stable legal and political environment. The hard coal and lignite markets raise concerns in terms of profitability, and nuclear energy – in terms of finalizinginvestments. At the moment, only the gas market, where the gas terminal plays a significant role, may be stable.
Keywords: EU, Poland, security, energy, ecology, strategy, politics

The Pacific in the strategic thought of the leaders of the People’s Republic of China

Marcin Wałdoch
Kazimierz Wielki University

Abstract: The idea of a Chinese political presence in the Pacific region, and thus in the seas and oceans, is relatively young. Before the reign of Deng Xiaoping, i.e. until 1978, and since the naval expeditions of Chinese Admiral Zheng He in the 15th century, China was not focused on activity in the Pacific region. This maritime absence of China thus lasted about 550 years. At that time, China was not striving for naval power. Only the Chinese revolution and the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 became the cornerstone of the Chinese presence in the open seas and small island states of Melanesia, Polynesia and Micronesia. The reformer Deng Xiaoping was the first to recognize the necessity of Chinese policy entering the oceans, but the three leaders who followed him made milestones, which resulted in the real and hegemonic presence of the PRC in the region. This article presents the evolution of Chinese strategic thought in the face of four Chinese political leaders Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping in the Pacific region.
Keywords: strategic thought, political leaders, Indo-Pacific, Pacific, China, martime policy

Return of the Polish military contingent to the UN mission in southern Lebanon in 2019

Grzegorz Ciechanowski, Piotr Lotarski
University of Szczecin, Uniwersytet Warmińsko-Mazurski w Olsztynie

Abstract: Purpose: to analyze and show the evolution of the tasks and service profile of the Polish military contingent (PKW) in the UNIFIL mission conducted since 1978 in Lebanon in the afternoon, 1992-2021. Initially, the PMC was formed as a medical company providing medical support for the entire mission staff in this respect, after expanding in 1994, the PMC expanded its scope of activity to include the area of logistics by a repair and engineering company. Since 2007, after the situation in the region has inflamed, the maneuvering company of the Polish Military Contingent started to perform operational tasks in the Spanish-Polish Battalion. After a ten-year break in 2019, the PMC returned to the UNIFIL mission, the Polish maneuver company in the Irish-Polish Battalion patrols part of the UN buffer zone. The return to the mission of the contingent was not easy, it required many years of efforts by the Polish side.
The problem: analysis of the effectiveness of politicians’ and military’s actions for the return of the PMC to the UN mission and the effectiveness of the PMC’s activities. Method: critical analysis of literature and other materials.
Hypothesis: Poland’s return to participate in UN peacekeeping missions is a success in the political, diplomatic, prestige and military dimensions.
Keywords: Lebanon, UN, Polish Armed Forces, peacekeeping

The role of the Bucharest Nine (B9) in the security and defense system of the Republic of Poland in the aftermath of the Russian armed aggression against Ukraine

Szymon Wasielewski
Kazimierz Wielki University

Abstract: The changes that took place in the global security system as a result of Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the unleashed war in Eastern Ukraine, forced the countries of Central and Eastern Europe to take steps to ensure their security. The Bucharest Nine (B9), initiated in 2014 by the presidents of Poland and Romania, officially inaugurated in 2015, became an expression of concern for the security of the region’s states in the face of the imperial policy of the Russian Federation. B9, a subregional organization operating within NATO, has become a multidimensional plane for cooperation between countries in Central and Eastern Europe in the area of security and defense. Its main goals include strengthening transatlantic ties based on allied guarantees under Art. 5 of the Washington Treaty, building a strong Alliance led by the United States, developing bilateral relations between member states, strengthening NATO’s defense capabilities, or developing strategic cooperation between the Alliance and the EU. The goal of B9 is also to support the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine and to support it in its efforts to become a member of the transatlantic structures. Poland’s participation in the Bucharest Nine project significantly strengthens its ability to influence the NATO, including in the context of increasing the level of defense and deterrence on the eastern flank of the Alliance. A community of interests and reaching consensus on key issues will determine the effectiveness of B9 in the future.
Keywords: B9, NATO, security, Poland, Russia, USA

The process of shaping the anti-terrorism system in Poland in the years 1989–2016

Kamil Latos
Kazimierz Wielki University

Abstract: The escalation and the nature of the threat of terrorism determined the need for a systemic approach to it’s combating. The purpose of the article is to present the process of shaping the anti-terrorism system in Poland in 1989–2016, with a historical outline of the solutions existing during the period of the Polish People’s Republic. Due to the essence of related issues, the author brought closer the problem of defining terrorism and the nature of the threat of terrorism to Poland. Research problems were formulated in the form of questions. How was the process of shaping the anti-terrorism system in Poland in 1989–2016? What institutional and legal solutions were adopted in Poland? What factors determined the process and the form of adopted solutions? The process of shaping the counterterrorism system in Poland was associated with the need to develop innovative organizational solutions, especially in the field of law, coordination and exchange of information. Construction of systemic solutions, their form was determined by the escalation of the threat of terrorism in the Euro-Atlantic area, threats to Poland and the inclusion of the country in the dynamic processes of international integration, especially within the European Union. In order to verify the adopted research approach, the Author used the method of institutional and legal analysis, analysis and criticism of the literature and the analysis of social products.
Keywords: anti-terrorism system, Poland, terrorism, terrorist threat to Poland, shaping the anti-terrorism system in Poland, combating terrorism, counterterrorism policy, institutional and legal solutions

REVIEWS

Marcin Wałdoch (rev.): Klaus Dodds, Border Wars. The conflict that will define our future, London 2021