Intermarium is one of the most important Polish geopolitical concepts. This article considers it within the category of militant democracy. It allows to explore the process of militant democracy, that is, introducing restrictions by legal means. Most restrictions have recently been introduced due to a coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, the article undertakes to examine the potential for implementation of the concept of the Intermarium during the pandemic and shortly after its end. The study uses a qualitative analysis of sources. Indicators relevant to the study of the process of militant democracy were distinguished based on the body of literature. Results: The traditional concept of the Intermarium erodes due to natural causes. Currently, Poland is more inclined to the concept of the Three Seas. In addition, in the face of the analysis that was carried out, it seems that in a pandemic situation we are observing the end of the paradigm of liberal democracy in this case.

The paper reveals modern problems of limiting, ensuring, and realizing human rights during crisis events in Ukraine. The unsatisfactory state of the social protection system of Ukraine in the pre-crisis period is revealed (including problems of unstructured legislation, excessive financial burden, etc.). The article analyzes the existing guarantees and standards of human rights during the pandemic (included in the selected international documents and the Constitution of Ukraine). Several negative factors faced by the most vulnerable social groups during the crisis were addressed (for IDPs – problems of displacement, residence, job search; for the older population – problems of social security, treatment of chronic diseases, movement restrictions, and relevant age-based discrimination; for the homeless – absolute insecurity from all manifestations of the COVIDfueled crisis; for the detained and imprisoned – problems of penitentiary medical care, postponement of amnesty and subsequent rehabilitation). The paper assesses the relevant normative documents regulating social relations during the pandemic in terms of their positive and negative impact on the above risk groups (facilitated with the analysis of additional financial aid and payments, legal restrictions, the impact of the increasing financial burden on state and local budgets due to quarantine, the unconstitutionality of certain provisions and the lack of adequate legal response from the Constitutional Court of Ukraine). Conclusions were drawn based on the analysis of the officially established strategy to combat COVID-19, supplemented by a prognosis of the long-term consequences of its implementation (the pros and cons of the selected strategy of simultaneous “hard” and “soft” quarantine measures, the lack of long-term care policy, unpreparedness for vaccination and the restoration of the pre-pandemic way of everyday life).

This article describes the issue of misinformation during the SARS CoV-2 pandemic, which WHO called ‘infodemic’. The outbreak of the pandemic has changed the constellation of the information environment, where there is a noticeable increase in fake news, conspiracy theories and the hate speech they generate. The modified architecture of digital space causes the formation of new instruments, influence factors, phenomena – previously recognized, but never before so intense. The article focuses on fake news that appeared in connection with the ongoing pandemic and which is present in Polish public discourse. The adopted perspective allowed to look at the phenomenon of false information through the prism of the theory of information laundering.

The article deals with the problematic issues of human and civil rights under pandemic on the example of the practice of combating the spread of respiratory disease COVID-19 caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 civil society in Ukraine in 2020. Account has been taken of the fact that the human, his life and health are the highest social value, and that human rights and freedoms determine the content and orientation of State activities. Since every State functioned for the human, in order to protect universally recognized rights and freedoms, it was a feature of a modern democratic State governed by the rule of law. At the same time, in legal science in recent years there has been a debate about the problems of human and civil rights against the background of widespread abuse of rights, individual selfishness, conflict of rights of one person and group of people, human and society. That is to say, in the order of the day came an all-civilizational discussion about the appointment of the State, the idea of humanocentrism and sociocentrism as the fundamental foundation and expediency of the State. The problem is posed by the global challenges faced by present-day civilization: climate protection and freshwater, poverty and corruption, terrorism and military conflicts, massive ethnic displacement and pandemics. In one way or another these problems are present on all continents today, both for the world community and for each State in particular, but there is no well-established mechanism for dealing with them. With regard to combating the spread of coronavirus, it is clear that the problem is a global one in the field of medical law, and that it must be addressed both at the level of the novelization of legislation and at the level of philosophy and sociology of law, ‘cause that’s the kind of system-wide results you can use in complex under the state-creative practice today.

European Union Activity Against the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ukraine

The article is an attempt to look at the activity of the European Union against the COVID19 pandemic in Ukraine. The purpose of the research is to demonstrate successes and failures of the EU’s activity in this area. The main research question posed in the article is: How did the EU’s activity affect the course of the pandemic in Ukraine? The main research hypothesis is statement that the EU’s activity has caused a significant mobilization in implementing reforms in Ukraine, but so far it has not resulted in a decrease in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country. The research has been based on a qualitative methodology, with the document analysis strategy. The research material consisted of primary acts of the EU’s institutions, government data of Ukraine and internet portals devoted to the issue. Research shows that the EU’s activity against the COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine has proved successful in terms of the need to finance actions to overcome the negative effects of it.

The Success of the Kingdom of Bhutan in Times of the Pandemic – An Example of Conscious Action or Chance?

The article addresses the fight of the Kingdom of Bhutan against the coronavirus pandemic from the beginning of 2020 to the end of September 2020 and answers the title question. Stages of the spread of the disease during the period indicated in the title are presented, as well as the accompanying actions of the public authorities whose task was, among others, to minimize its effects. Particular attention was paid to the king – his activity, including social media, image and the content of his public speeches. Economic solutions designed to counteract the crisis and support citizens in the difficult situation are also presented.

Someone Did Not Close the Jar – A Picture of a Pandemic in Modern Russian Literature

Mankind has survived many plagues. Advances in science, including medicine and pharmacy, have resulted in many once deadly diseases elimination. Before this happened, the plagues had decimated the countryside and cities. Even the richest and most influential citizens were unable to protect themselves and their relatives from inevitable death. Lying at the junction of Europe and Asia, Russia also was plagued by epidemics, which found artistic reflection in art and literature. The topic of the pandemic remains relevant. There will probably be many more of its literary versions. The article is only a contribution to deeper literary research and analysis. Each of the mentioned authors paints the portrait of “plague” from a different perspective, which makes the topic more interesting, multifaceted, and also testifies to the wide scale of the phenomenon and its impact on contemporary Russian literature. Over time, the list of appeals will be expanded, but today these seem to be the most representative.

Współcześnie temat pandemii wirusa SARS-CoV-2 zdominował światową prasę. Jednak problem wirusa w Afryce, jeszcze w lutym 2020 r. był w zasadzie pomijany w prasie zachodniej. Natomiast w tym samym czasie można było dostrzec coraz rosnące zainteresowanie prasy afrykańskiej tym problemem. Działo się tak, ponieważ w Afryce stosunkowo późno, w porównaniu z innymi kontynentami, zaczęto odnotowywać pierwsze zakażenia. Ze względu na szybkie rozprzestrzenianie się wirusa w świecie, 11 marca 2020 r. Światowa Organizacja Zdrowia ogłosiła stan pandemii. W początkowej fazie w Afryce, między innymi ze względu na małą ilość prowadzonych testów, nie odnotowywano takiej skali zakażeń jak w innych częściach świata, co nie oznacza, że sytuacja na kontynencie była lepsza. Celem artykułu będzie analiza sytuacji i problemów związanych z rozprzestrzenianiem się pandemii w Afryce. Na przykładzie wybranych państw autorka oceni ich przygotowanie i stosunek do walki z pandemią.

The author analyzes a number of issues regarding the impact of Covid-19 on societies in Africa, Asia, the USA and Europe. Author describes the expanded of the coronavirus and the effects of the pandemic. Particular attention is paid to analyzes economic, political, social and psychosocial problems of selected countries.

Artykuł prezentuje wyniki analizy telewizyjnego orędzia prezydenta Francji Emmanuela Macrona z dnia 16 marca 2020 roku. Stanowi ono przyczynek do wskazania na znaczenie we współczesnym dyskursie politycznym odwoływania się do logiki strachu i poczucia zagrożenia. Analiza treści pozwoliła wskazać najważniejsze cechy retoryki strachu, jaka zdominowała prezydenckie przemówienie pełne sensacyjnych metafor i wojennych odniesień, będących doskonałym przykładem moralnej paniki w czasie kryzysu, w którym zwiększa się zapotrzebowanie na informację. Analizą dyskursu objęto leksykalne i składniowe środki językowe, gdzie niezwykle częste metafory wojenne dają możliwość manipulacji opinią społeczną i wdrażania koncepcji uodpowiedzialnienia obywateli.

Freedom of assembly in times of a pandemic. Israeli experiences

Freedom of assembly is an essential element in modern democracies, also during emergency situations. The time of the pandemic is an example of the use of various restriction mechanisms of human rights. The Israeli case is worth discussing because as in other democratic states the political internal crises overlap with the pandemic emergency regulations and tensions between parliament and executive branch in law-making.

From high school graduate to student – remote education in the perspective of students of the 1st year of study

This article presents a theoretical analysis and a report on a segment of research conducted among first-year students. In the research, In the research, I used a free interview, which allowed me to get to know the interpretation and experience related to remote preparation for the matriculation examination and study from the perspective of the research participants. The analysis of the material was qualitative. The main issue of the article focuses on the multidimensionality and complexity of the problems experienced by students preparing for the matura exams in a remote form and how they perceive the first year of studies in such a formula. In the perspective of first-year students, many challenges are faced by teachers and lecturers, who are expected to reorganize their classes and adapt teaching methods to remote classes. Also, students rich in new experiences are not the same people, they have to learn how to function in a group and build relationships again. Research has also shown that the perspective of remote education is different and its negative impact on the school and academic community cannot be clearly defined.

Teaching the metrology of geometric quantities during a pandemic – analysis of learning possibilities and effects

The article presents the issues related to the learning of technical subjects within distance learning. The author started by outlining the scope of regulations in force at technical universities and introduced by the Rector for the duration of the pandemic. Their aim was to standardize the methods of education as well as the rules of organizing credits and examinations remotely. Examples of learning outcomes necessary to be achieved by students as a result of completing the metrology course are also presented. They were divided into three groups: knowledge, skills and competences, emphasizing unequivocally the effects that in the case of only the remote form of education may be difficult to achieve by the participants of the above-mentioned course. Then, the applied forms of teaching metrology were presented, emphasizing their usefulness and paying attention to the risks in the context of the content transmitted in a remote form. The last part of the article contains a summary of the results obtained by students of two different faculties in the last five years. The analyzed period of time covered the four years before the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic, and the last year where education and credits were conducted remotely.

Since the first quarter of 2020, the whole world has been struggling with the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. More and more governments are introducing restrictions and bans for security reasons, with the aim of limiting the transmission of the virus and reducing health risks for citizens. The scale of the problem is best illustrated by the rising numbers of infections and deaths. In addition to the epidemic threat worldwide, the pandemic has brought to light many other problems and challenges. One of them is growing crisis of democracy around the world. Using a systemic approach, the article sets out to analyse the state and problems of contemporary Lithuanian democracy under pandemic conditions, focusing also on indicators of democracy and public opinion polls. It evaluates, inter alia, the state of Lithuanian democracy, the political system and its openness to citizens.

The aim of the text is the analysis of the tasks and activities of the municipal self-government during the organization of the 2020 election of the President in Poland during the period from the beginning of February to May 10, 2020, when, due to the development of the pandemic, the process of preparing the election took a different course. The study is based on documents and five in-depth expert interviews conducted with persons associated with the organization of the elections. This publication draws attention to the lack of knowledge about various aspects of the pandemic, the protraction of the decision-making process, the lack of cooperation, and citizens’ fears.

The fight against a pandemic, which is a form of natural disaster, is always connected with limiting constitutional freedoms and human and civil rights. Due to the emergence of the coronavirus epidemic in Poland, a number of legal regulations have been adopted to combat it. The adopted regulations are restrictive and significantly limit the exercise of constitutionally guaranteed freedoms and rights. This article analyzes the limitations of rights and freedoms introduced during the pandemic in Poland, and in particular the manner of their implementation, and assesses the process from the point of view of violating the basic standards of human rights protection. The results of the analysis lead to the conclusion that despite the substantive justification of many restrictions, the manner of their introduction violates the basic standards of human rights protection and raises fundamental doubts from the point of view of the compliance of the introduced solutions with the Constitution.

The COVID-19 pandemic is recognized as one of the most dramatic global health, social, and economic crises of the last decades, and maybe the whole century. Therefore, it is obvious that there is a need to examine the constructs of new thinking, new ways of life, and new behavior, which will help people not only to overcome the pandemic but also to build a future after it. The words isolation, quarantine, social distancing, lockdown, masks, antibodies, and zoom meeting quickly became the keywords of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, which is based on an analysis of the scientific literature and interviews, we ask whether new behavioral patterns such as social distancing, mask-wearing, online communication, and others might become the “new normal”. However, what might be perceived as the “new normal” to some, may seem like social absurdity to others. Thus, with an open-minded approach, we analyze the “new normal” as a complex, controversial, and evolving concept.

This paper presents the results of a study that explored the experiences of adult educators during the COVID-19 pandemic. This online survey was conducted in June 2020 and included directors and teachers in adult education from various institutions in Slovenia. Tutors at Slovenian Third-Age Universities and other associations that provided adult education were also included. The aim of our study was to examine how distance education was implemented during the pandemic, using the concept of ‘emergency remote teaching’ (Hodges, 2020). The study sample included 30 directors of adult education institutions and 124 teachers or tutors. The results showed that organisations providing adult education responded during the lockdown by providing adults with the opportunity to continue their education through distance learning. However, this was not the case for all of adult education programmes. Mostly language courses and formal education were offered. The results show that most adult educators quickly adapted to the new working conditions, but that teaching approaches were rather static and asynchronous teaching solutions. An analysis of the problems teachers faced and the support they needed has shown that action is needed to remove the obstacles to the future provision of adult education as much as possible.

The article presents the results of research carried out during the first wave of restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The research covered students of high schools - 275 students of schools from Białystok and Bielsk Podlaski, ages 16-19. The goal of the study was to investigate the relationship of the grit factor with the functioning of young people in a specific situation - remote learning, combined with additional, burdensome limitations in the public space. The sphere of learning and physical activity were the main areas of functioning that were researched in the study. The study used an original, author’s questionnaire to measure the functioning of young people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides this scale, also used were the Duckworth Short Grit Scale (SGS) (Polish adaptation by Wyszyńska et al., 2017) and the Cantril mental well-being scale (Cantril, 1965). The study displayed positive relationships between grit and the amount of time devoted to learning in remote mode, with regularity in maintaining the rhythm of the day (getting up at a similar time, taking up physical activity) and mental well-being.

This study examines the life of Chinese students studying in the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) during the COVID-19 pandemic and identifies students’ most preferred educational method during the pandemic and the most effective educational method post pandemic. A month-long quantitative survey was conducted, supplemented by a qualitative survey. Online educational method (OEM) was the most preferred. While students hoped for the face-to-face educational method (FEM) post pandemic, they also wanted OEM to expand because of their improved awareness about it and having experienced its advantages. Thus, OEM could potentially be the most effective educational method for Chinese students.