Polish-Georgian relations in 1918 – 1921

The tradition of Polish-Georgian relations is many centuries old. It manifested itself differently over the course of history, originally based on the ideology of the Sarmatism and a diplomatic alliance in the war against Turkey. Later, when they were annexed by the Russian Empire, it was based on their fight for independence against a common enemy. Their relations have a political and historical background, and are associated with the resettlement policy of Russia. Establishing diplomatic relationships during the short period of the Democratic Republic of Georgia’s existence meant acknowledging Georgia internationally, first de facto, and then de iure. The cooperation was focused mainly on providing safe return for large Polish minority living in Transcaucasia, and on Marshal Józef Piłsudzki’s federalist agenda which supported newly emerged states. Both countries’ relations were reinforced by signing a military alliance and creating Polish-Georgian Industrial and Trade Union. The cooperation was finally ended by Soviet Russia’s assault on Georgia in year 1921.

Ujawniające się w ramach Unii Europejskiej (UE) procesy dezintegracyjne wywołują potrzebę i postulaty stworzenia teorii dezintegracji europejskiej. Obecnie możemy mówić co najwyżej o istnieniu zaczątków takich teorii. W niniejszym opracowaniu podjęto próbę wykazania, że istniejące teorie integracji europejskiej mogą być z powodzeniem wykorzystane do analizy procesów dezintegracyjnych. Można tego dokonać relatywnie prostym zabiegiem, poprzez potraktowanie ich w sposób „odwrócony”. Innymi słowy, teorie te – tak jak można stosować przy eksplanacji procesów integracji, tak też można zastosować dla wyjaśnienia, dlaczego niektóre państwa nie chcą lub nie mogą uczestniczyć w procesach zbyt daleko idącej integracji europejskiej. W artykule niniejszym, wykorzystując metodę studium przypadku, wskazano na potencjał, jaki posiadają dwie teorie integracji: federalistyczna i międzyrządowa w wyjaśnieniu fenomenu Brexitu. Rozpoczęcie negocjacji o wyjściu Wielkiej Brytanii z UE przedstawia się jako skutek bądź to nieprzystawalności i braku akceptacji dla modelu federalistycznego, bądź to jako fiasko promowanego modelu integracji międzyrządowej.

The article attempts to analyze the significance of the Sixth State Reform in the context of the evolution of the federal system in Belgium. The origins and the assumptions of this reform are analyzed, its main areas are presented, and then the systemic changes are evaluated. The deliberations, which took a broad account of the statements of representatives of the Belgian science of public law, lead to the conclusion that the reform, on the one hand, may be regarded as a kind of Copernican revolution in politics, but on the other hand, it is a missed opportunity to unravel the complicated paths of the Belgian federalism. The conclusions also indicate possible projections of the directions of the evolution of the political system in Belgium, concluding that the reform does not settle the directions of further development and the changes in this extremely sublime, though not necessarily clear, territorial structure of the country. However, it seems to be certain that this is not the last reform.

The Federal State of Iraq as a Solution to the Ethnic and Denominational Problems on the Example of Kurdistan

Federalism is one of many political solutions to the situation in the Iraqi state. The reason is that it was a political solution most frequently used in the world. It was applied mainly in multicultural countries. The complex political and administrative situation compels to look for a political compromise that will find justification and legal basis in the constitution of a given country. The federal system appears to be the compromise. Meanwhile, the Russian model can be used as an example for Iraqi Kurdistan, particularly in the case of Dagestan. In the early twentieth century, the newly established Iraqi state incorporated a part of the Kurdish region, while at the same time there were plans to create the Kurdish state. The difficulties would not let up. Problems related to nationality were becoming more acute. The second phase of the Iraqi problem arose after the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s regime. A diversified country was beginning to face a problem not only on national, but also religious grounds. The Russian model, predominantly exemplified by Dagestan, could prove successful in Iraq. Both ethnic and religious similarities speak for it.