Earthquake Diplomacy and the Change of the Syria’s International Position

Syria is a state which has been affected by multiple series of disasters in the XXI century. Some of them has been natural caused, whereas there were some caused by human activity. Only for the first two decades of the current century, Syria has been the arena of the most complex military conflict, which significantly damaged the whole state and caused its partial international isolation. On the other hand, Syria has struggle with various types of natural disasters, such as drought from 2006 to 2010, numerous floods, the COVID-19 and Cholera outbreak and finally, the recent earthquake, occured in February 2023. The last phenomenon has lead numerous countries to express solidarity with Syria as well as to deliver the humanitarian aid to this country. Some of them are considered to be hostile towards Damascus and president Bashar el-Assad. In parallel to the humanitarian assistance, there was a diplomatic process, which led to full rehabilitation of Syrian president in the region and to full normalization diplomatic relations with other Arabic states as well as to start a dialogue with Turkey. In some analytical and media centers, the recent events have been described as an outcome of the earthquake diplomacy or disaster diplomacy, characterized as the international situation in which the natural disaster and the readiness to counterreaction against its effects, may create the opportunities to deescalate relations between the warrying states. Therefore, would it be accurate to consider the recent disaster in Syria able to create the new process as well as to transform the long-term strategies of a number of countries? This article will deal with analysing political process occured between Syria and the regional powers after the earthquake as well as it will try to answer the question how the international position of Syria has changed and crucially: does the recent earthquake have the impact on these issues?

Analysis of the Dynamics and Development of the Kaliningrad Tourism Services Market

Tourism affects the enrichment, increase, and build-up of cultural potential, ensures harmony of relations between different states and ethnic groups, forces authorities, public, and social organisations, including commercial companies, to actively participate in the problem-solving of preserving the environment and improving its ecological level. The paper’s aim is to identify the factors determining demand for tourist services and the economic analysis of the tourism sector in Kaliningrad.

„Woe to the house where the wife leads the husband...” – A Review of Women’s Rights in Islamic Countries

This article deals with the rights of women in the Muslim world according to the Koran and the principles of Sharia law. In many areas, these rights are not respected, denied, or removed. Many women do not know their rights, believing their fathers and husbands, trusting in the eternal book, the Koran. However, changes in the legal field have been taking place since the 19th century thanks to women activists fighting to improve the lives of other Muslim women.

The Socio-Economic System of Sogdiana and the Development of Its Economy

The paper aims at presenting the social development of Sogdiana and its economy. It discusses the capital of Sogdiana – Samarkand – and its role in the socio-economic system of Sogdiana, as well as other cities of this country. As the heart of Transoxiana, the Zeravshan Valley became the centre of Sogdiana and the first state institutions of Central Asia.

Some Aspects of the Development of Polish and Czech Workers’ Movement

The cooperation of Polish and Czech communists on the Sudeten Borderland has been going on for many years, it has had various stages and intensities. The most diverse and massive one was in the period of the Polish People’s Republic and socialist Czechoslovakia, when it included not only individual and family contacts. The mass cooperation included workplaces, schools, universities and other colleges, local government bodies, and numerous social organisations. It contributed to overcoming numerous, often negative, stereotypes among Poles and Czechs. Later, after the introduction of martial law in Poland, it collapsed. Political changes came and the borders were opened again, but today, it is no longer massive and organised. Individual and sometimes family contacts dominate, cross-border trade is flourishing, e.g., Czechs willingly come to the markets in Kudowa, Kłodzko, etc. On the other hand, Poles are willing to take up jobs nearby and more distant Czech workplaces. An interesting phenomenon of this cooperation are various meetings and party-political events undertaken on the Czech border by Polish and Czech communists, as well as representatives of other left-wing social organisations. This manifests itself in regular visits (usually twice a year), participation in mutual events, e.g., on the occasion of May 1, Liberation on May 8–9, as well as in active participation in socio-political, historical, and other conferences. There is also systematic mutual information on the Internet, exchange of magazines, posters, even participation in international events in the Giant Mountains, Trutnov, Hradec Králové, and even Prague. Czech comrades pay visits to the Polish side of the border. They are interested in the further development of events in our country. Recently, Polish comrades have taken the stand for the Czech candidate of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Republic who was persecuted by the regime and who, along with two other comrades, was put in the dock of a court in Prague and convicted of the alleged “Katyn lie”. Other issues of the article concern the analysis of the historical background of Polish-Czech relations in the distant and recent past.

Greetings and a Political and Ideological Message of the Communist Party of Poland at the International Conference of the German Peace Council, Berlin, September 28–29, 2023