SPIS TREŚCI / CONTENTS / ОГЛАВЛЕНИЕ

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.

Status and Role of the Young Generation in the Social and Political Space of Georgia

The aim of the paper is to examine the status and role of the young generation in the social and political space of Georgia. The paper states that the young generation of Georgians does not enjoy high social status, even though the young can and probably will constitute the future elite of Georgian society. To analyze this research problem, I have used a number of research methods based partly on secondary sources. Three main research methods have been used in the study-desk research method, comparison, and the statistical method based on secondary data that have been extracted from the Caucasus Research Resource Center (CRRC) database. The paper is a snapshot of studies on the theory of notions of “status” and “role”, and it presents the work of Polish scholars. Moreover, the paper opens the door to further research on the young and democracy in Georgia. The studied issue is essential for analyzing the perception of democracy and democratization among the generations in Georgia. The paper is part of a series of articles on the opinion of the young generation of Georgians about democracy and democratization.

China as a Strategic Economic Partner in the Concepts of Russian Foreign Policy in the 2020s

The article presents an idea of the possible Russian - Chinese strategic economic partnership at the beginning of the 21st century. The author indicates the main factors influencing Russian Federation foreign policy towards China from the perspective of a neoclassical realism.The author stands that according to J. Rosenau, the main factors determining the Russian foreign policy are idiosyncratic and role. Then he analyses the Russian documents of foreign policy, economic data and geopolitical ideas. On that ground, he makes a simple analyse using the neoclassical realism model, that’s integrates Foreign Policy Analyse and International Relations Theory, joining independent and intervening variables, to support the article’s hypotheses. That hypotheses say that, firstly, The Peoples Republic of China (PRC) plays a role of diversification of Russia’s international economic ties; and secondly, The PRC status as a Russia’s strategic partner is at issue, despite the official declarations of both sides.

The policy of the People’s Republic of China towards Central and Eastern Europe in 2012-2020

In the second decade of the 21st century, the Middle Kingdom, which had huge financial surpluses, became the world’s largest exporter of money capital, which meant that investment policy became the main element of China’s foreign policy. In the case of Central and Eastern Europe, the 16+1 (17+1) format, containing both investment policy and soft power elements, has become the basic tool of the general policy of Middle Kingdom. This article aims to define the basic principles of China’s policy towards Central and Eastern Europe. For this purpose, the following general hypothesis was formulated: Chinese policy in Central and Eastern Europe consists of presenting the countries of this region with initiatives that do not go beyond the sphere of declarations and serve as a bargaining chip in relations with Germany, the country with the greatest potential in the European Union. The general hypothesis gives rise to detailed hypotheses that were verified in individual parts of the article with the use of the comparative method. The reasons most often mentioned in the literature on the subject, such as economic, cultural, social, and political differentiation of Central and Eastern European countries, legal barriers resulting from EU legislation, insufficient recognition of the region’s needs by the Chinese side and asymmetry of expectations of both parties, undoubtedly largely contribute to the lack of effective Sino-CEE cooperation. However, they cannot be considered decisive because similar problems occur wherever Chinese companies appear. However, in many regions of the world, despite these obstacles, mutual economic relations are more dynamic than in CEE. The reasons why the potential of the 16+1 (17+1) format has not been properly used can be found primarily in the context of German-Chinese relations.

From Economic to Geopolitical Policy: The Middle East on the Silk Road

The article aims to present and evaluate the activities and politics of the People’s Republic of China in the Middle East, and to define its objectives through the Silk Project. It will provide an overview of the most important changes in the Chinese foreign and political policy, and the importance of the Middle East, particularly the Silk Road to China, and it will try to answer the following questions: How important is the Middle East for the Silk Road? Will the Chinese project bring stability to the region in light of the fierce competition between the great powers? The article adopted the hypothesis that China’s involvement in the Middle East will deepen the conflict between the countries of the region among themselves, and thus become a fertile ground for international conflicts to the international conflict.

Socio-political Reforms in Uzbekistan during the Presidency of Shavkat Mirziyoyev

The paper aims to present various aspects of the reform process initiated and implemented by Shavkhat Mirziyoyev, the president of the Republic of Uzbekistan, since 2016. The main subjects of consideration are vectors of political change in the spheres of institutions of political power, economy and foreign policy in the broader context of the legacy of the first president Islam Karimov’s reign and the heritage of the Soviet period. The fundamental reforms have embraced democratization of political system, fight against corruption, extension of civil rights and abandoning of isolationism in international relations, and are sometimes decribed as the „Uzbek Thaw”. However they seem to be very meaningful, one will be able to evaluate their significance for the statehood of the independent Uzbekistan only from the perspective of future decades.

Counteracting Illegal Immigration to Poland on the Polish-Ukrainian Border in 2009-2019

Illegal migration is one of the most frequently committed border crimes. The cooperation of states and specialized services in the field of combating and counteracting illegal migration is an expression of the implementation of the overriding goal, which is the security of the state and its citizens. As shown by the statistics of the Border Guard, the Polish-Ukrainian border is characterized by the greatest personal traffic. In 2009-2019, most illegal immigration was recorded on this section of the border. The article discusses the scale and scope of the phenomenon of illegal immigration on the Polish-Ukrainian border, and highlights the cooperation of services and organizations competent in this field.

The 5G Network in the Perspective of Polish Normative Changes

The article aims to diagnose the potential for introducing 5G in Poland and to review the legal changes that affect the dynamics of the Polish telecommunications market. The authors will try to answer the following questions: how is Poland responding to the USChinese competition for primacy over 5G technology? What is the technological dilemma of Poland’s security? What legal assumptions does Poland intend to adopt in relation to 5G technology? Does the Polish side demonstrate discriminatory actions against any leader in the field of 5G technology development? One of the conclusions of the article is the statement that 5G technology will require not only technical or business changes, but above all systemic and legal changes in the Polish social reality will be necessary. In the course of the research precedings the method of critical content analysis was chosen - in the area of political science research, as well as the formal and dogmatic method to penetrate the plane of the binding law. Hence, the combination of the two indicated methods should result in a multifaceted argument covering two research fields indicated in the title.

Looking beyond Europe

[book review Chińska fi lozofi a Historii. Od początków do końca XVIII wieku]

Заглянуть за пределы Европы

[рецензия книги Chińska fi lozofi a Historii. Od początków do końca XVIII wieku]

New Look on China

[book review Chiny z perspektywy XXI wieku]

Новый взгляд на Китай

[рецензия книги Chiny z perspektywy XXI wieku]

This is not a propaganda?

[book review To nie jest propaganda. Przygody na wojnie z rzeczywistością]

Это не пропаганда?

[рецензия книги To nie jest propaganda. Przygody na wojnie z rzeczywistością]

Two anniversaries in historiography and historical education

[book review Dwie rocznice. Obraz wojny polsko-bolszewickiej i zbrodni katyńskiej w historiografii i edukacji historycznej]

Два юбилея в историографии и историческом образовании

[рецензия книги Dwie rocznice. Obraz wojny polsko-bolszewickiej i zbrodni katyńskiej w historiografii i edukacji historycznej]

SPIS TREŚCI / CONTENTS / ОГЛАВЛЕНИЕ

Multidimensionality of migration as a research phenomenon

Acting in the area of migration, research interest of many scientific disciplines are the subject of interdisciplinary research, as well as gathered in a circle one discipline. The complexity of the concept of migration results in many ways of its classification; often diverse perspective to look at the processes of displacement reveals the complex nature of the criteria for classification, although sometimes it turns out that they do not cover all the ways of perceiving and analyzing. Migration as a social phenomenon have been and is shaped by diverse conglomeration of contemporary factors and conditions.

Formation of a negative image of the West in the Belarusian media after the political crisis of 2020. The case of ONT TV channel

This article presents the results of the content monitoring of news programs of the Belarusian state TV channel ONT. Revealed, that from a certain period on the Belarusian television pro-Russian narratives used to create a negative image of the West in the viewer have been promoted. Shown that in the stories of this media the West is portrayed in the context of its destructive impact on the Republic of Belarus. Noted, that special attention is paid to the protests of 2020 in Belarus. According to the rhetoric of the ONT TV channel, the mentioned actions, being inspired by Western countries, are an element of the West’s war against Russia. The author attempted to analyze the attitude of the Belarusian society to the Western world. Emphasized, that the fixed sociologists’ attitude of Belarusians to the West indicates that the bipolar picture of the world offered by this TV channel, at this stage, is generally not shared by the Belarusian society.

The heritage of the past and historical memory as factors determining security policy. The case of Polish foreign and defense policy 1918-1944/45

The shaping of the security and defence policy of the Second Polish Republic took place primarily under the influence of the development of the domestic situation in the country and evolution of the European security system. However, in the case of Poland, experience and historical memory played a greater role in this field than in the case of other countries. Poland as a state did not exist for a dangerously long 123 years. During that period, as a kind of substitute for the Polish state, the so-called “Question polonaise/Polish Question” was present in the political life and security of system Europe, that is all problems related to the Polish nation’s efforts to regain the state, which often manifested itself in the form of armed uprisings. It was so difficult to solve that it remained unresolved throughout the nineteenth century. Both the circumstances of the collapse of the Polish state and the evolution of the «question polonaise» in the «long» nineteenth century (for Poland from 1795 to 1918) provided Europe with experiences going in different directions, evoking on the one hand certain hopes and expectations, but on the other hand doubts, and even fears. As a result, in 1918, the project of restoring the Polish state was universally (and irrevocably!) accepted, but no agreement was reached on its borders, and thus, indirectly, on its socio-economic system. The year 1918 should be seen not only as the end of the century of the struggle for independence, but also as the opening of the next century, the century of the struggle to maintain the Polish state and to give it a form corresponding to the aspirations of the nation and accepted by the geopolitical surroundings of Poland. In the short interwar period, those efforts were not successful. Faced with the evolution of the international situation and the European security system, unfavourable for Poland, the political elites largely failed. They came from the upper and privileged social classes, mainly from the post-feudal layer of landowners and from the intelligentsia, rooted in that layer, both of whom were especially numerous in Poland. In many areas of key importance from the point of view of the security of the country and of the nation, they were unable to break out of the circle of ideas and views taken from the past. In their political thinking, they were subject to the limitations typical of post-feudal landowning layers. And so, in the internal dimension, they did not manage to make the effort to reform social relations in the form of a radical land reform, or to give real equality to national minorities (especially Ukrainian and Jewish). They also failed to prevent the evolution of the state system in an anti-democratic and authoritarian direction. In the external dimension, they failed to properly assess the potentials, intentions, and actions of the two totalitarian powers which bordered on Poland, namely the Third Reich and the Soviet Union.

The course of economic cooperation between Poland and the Eastern Partnership countries after 1992

The article presents the current state of conditions for the development of economic ties between Poland and the Eastern Partnership countries after 1992. Over the next few years, relations between Poland and the former USSR states gradually evolved as a result of the introduced economic reforms, the opening of economies and changes in the international environment. From the formal and legal point of view, the development of trade and the broader economic ties between Poland and the Eastern Partnership countries began in 1991, and we have had adequate, relatively comparable statistical data since 1995. The most important changes took place when Poland joined the European Union. An important platform for intensifying cooperation with the former USSR states was created by the launch of the EU Eastern Partnership initiative, which covers Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Therefore, the study covered the state of economic ties between Poland and the Eastern Partnership countries. The study attempts to show the place of Poland in the foreign trade of the EaP countries and vice versa, outlining the trend of the dynamics of trade between the above-mentioned partners and determining the degree of complementarity of the trade structure.

War in Donbas - considerations on the understatements of the just war theory

The following article covers the analysis of the War in Donbas from the perspective of the “traditional concept of a just war” (as interpreted by Michael Walzer). The main axis of the analysis is determined by the issue of the possibility of third countries intervening in armed conflicts concerning the specific case of the War in Donbas. The text indicates the key factors that make it impossible to develop a conflict in eastern Ukraine according to traditional just war theories, such as the pursuit of incomplete secession of pro-Russian separatists, the status of the Russian Federation as an unofficial participant in the conflict, and the problem of the “reality” of the separatist intention itself. Therefore, the main problem of this work is the interpretation of Russian actions from the perspective of the principle of non-intervention, and the attitude of other third countries and their right to (not) intervene in this conflict, and its conclusion - in the author’s opinion - indicates the need to update the theory of just war, in a way that would clearly indicate the proper conduct in the event of secession in favour of the existing state.

Borderization in the politics of Georgian and South Ossetian power elites

The dissolution of the Soviet Union led to both the restoration of independent states and the emergence of entities with the status of unrecognized states. In the aftermath of the five-day Georgia-Russia conflict of August 2008, the borderization incidents have intensified. The process involves the installation of barbed fences along the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) between Georgia and South Ossetia, and shifting border marks deep into the Georgia-controlled territory to transform the official ceasefire line into an international border by the Russian FSB border guards. The paper aims to examine how ‘borderization’ activities have affected the politics of Georgian and South Ossetian ruling elites. By becoming a part of the political and social debate, border incidents have allowed victimization the Georgian nation to be presented to the world. However, especially in 2012-2013, the two main political parties in Georgia differed in their perceptions of borderization. From South Ossetian perspective, in turn, the process has served as a manifestation of strengthening national identity, independence from Georgia, and above all, the belief in Ossetian statehood guaranteed by Russia’s military presence and the growing importance of the military elite. The methodology of the work is based on the case study approach, as well as critical analysis of literature, documents, web content and a review of archival materials. The paper also includes data obtained during the 2018 and 2019 field research in Abkhazia and in the IDPs camp in Shavshvebi, near the Georgian-Ossetian border.

The long way to freedom - adaptation problems of North Korean defectors in South Korea

Although South Korea and North Korea have shared a common national and cultural heritage for thousands of years, they have become de facto stranger to each other in the last few decades. They differ not only in a different political and economic system, but also in the mentality and lifestyle of ordinary citizens, and in language. Since the 1990s, the number of North Korean defectors has increased. Those who decide to escape to South Korea encounter many problems in their new homeland. The aims of this article is to present the main adaptation problems faced by North Korean defectors, such as trauma, discrimination and problems with assimilation in South Korean society. There are also shown the examples of how to overcome or reduce them, as well as what support from the South Korean authorities looks like.

Shanghai as an international finance center - the achievements and challenges for further development

The purpose of the study was to analyze selected actions, which were and are important for Shanghai to obtain the status of the international financial center, together with an initial assessment of the achievements and an indication of the challenges for further development. The carried out analysis shows, that Shanghai strengthens its position as the world’s leading international financial center. Whereas it is necessary for its further development to implement reliable market rules, that will give certainty to investors (domestic and foreign) that they have an open and fair access to the market and their interests are protected. The transparency and growing maturity of the stock market, the full liberalization of capital flows and the full interchangeability of the chinese currency play an important role. Whether Shanghai will be given the right to valuation global financial assets, depends to a significant extent on the alignment of China’s economic development and progress in the internationalization of the yuan. It also depends on whether the leading foreign financial organizations will see Shanghai as the most important platform to draw dividends from China’s economic development and the internationalization of the chinese currency. In the event of these basic conditions not being completed, Shanghai will not be able to become a fully global, mature financial center, integrated into the global financial system, taking into account, for example, the degree of internationalization of stock exchange operations.

Дилеммы и парадигмы иммиграционной и интеграционной политики

[рецензия книги Imigranci z Bliskiego Wschodu w polityce Unii Europejskiej]

Dilemmas and paradigms of immigration and integration policy

[book review Imigranci z Bliskiego Wschodu w polityce Unii Europejskiej]

Восточные общины у вас под рукой

[рецензия книги The World of Islam in Research Perspectives of Oriental Studies and Political Science. Vol. 2: Society]

Communities of the Orient at your fingertips

[book review The World of Islam in Research Perspectives of Oriental Studies and Political Science. Vol. 2: Society]

Многомерность процессов, проблем и вызовов на постсоветском пространстве

[рецензия книги Polityka, prawo, kultura i bezpieczeństwo na obszarze poradzieckim]

Multidimensionality of processes, problems and challenges of the post-Soviet area

[book review Polityka, prawo, kultura i bezpieczeństwo na obszarze poradzieckim]

Exposé of Prime Ministers after 1989

[book review Exposé Prezesów Rady Ministrów 1989–2019]

Доклады премьер-министров после 1989 года

[рецензия книги Exposé Prezesów Rady Ministrów 1989–2019]

SPIS TREŚCI / CONTENTS / ОГЛАВЛЕНИЕ

“Little war” of Russia and Georgia and the start of the drone armor race

This article examines drone usage by Russia and Georgia in Five-Day War during 2008. Rapidly increasing the use of lethal drones profoundly shapes the ability of various countries and armed groups to wage war. This could have serious consequences for regional security. The rapidly increasing use of drones and robots as well as data-driven military analysis are likely to have a significant impact on the future of hostilities in military operations. In this article, the authors want to answer the most important questions related to this five-day war: what were the causes of Russo-Georgian war, who started this war, who were the winners of this war and who lost it, who helped to end this war. Authors emphasize that the war showed weaknesses in NATO and EU security systems, as they did not react effectively to the forced border change and Russia’s territory occupation of an independent state. The war also showed cracks in Europe between Western powers that wanted to maintain good relations with Russia and Eastern European Countries at the same time.

The Problem of Violations of Religious Minorities’ Rights on the Example of Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic

The armed conflict in eastern Ukraine and establishing the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) resulted in many complications and tensions, both in international relations, and within the territories of those self-proclaimed republics. Violation of rights of religious minorities is one of such problems. It includes various forms of unlawful deeds, ranging from intimidation to killings. Such a situation creates grounds for legal responsibility of subjects involved in above mentioned violations. However, a crucial difficulty in this respect is enforcement of justice in practice. The difficulty results from two factors. First factor is that territories in question are beyond the effective control of Ukraine; it prevents Ukrainian authorities from taking legal steps against individuals who committed crimes. The second problem is that both self-proclaimed republics do not exist in the light of law, and thus they cannot take responsibility, also under international law. A change of this state of affairs would be possible only after ultimate settlement of legal status of eastern regions of Ukraine, and it requires a good will of all sides being engaged in the conflict.

Three-Seas - whose initiative?

The “Three-Seas area” project and the activities of the Three-Seas Initiative, i.e. the deepened cooperation of 12 Central European Member States of the European Union, which appeared in 2015, quickly gained considerable popularity in Poland. It has even been recognized as the flagship project of the Polish right wing grouped around the Law and Justice party, which took power in that same year 2015. In the “Three Seas” was seen another emanation of the idea of the so-called Intermarium, present in Polish political tradition since at least 1918. Meanwhile, the “Three Seas” project was prepared in the autumn of 2014 in the United States by the influential Atlantic Council think tank and included in a comprehensive document entitled “Completing Europe. From the North-South Corridor to Energy, Transportation, and Telecommunications Union Completing Europe”. The implementation of its assumptions would not, however, be limited to the modernization and strengthening of infrastructure connections between the aforementioned 12 states located in the NorthSouth belt from Estonia to Croatia and Bulgaria, which were planned to participate in the project. It would also mean the strengthening of their economic ties with the United States, a far-reaching weakening of their economic ties with Russia, and, most importantly, their “independence” in relation to the strong states of the “former Union” with Germany at the fore. The role of an intermediary in gaining the support of the Central European states was assigned to the new (since February 2015) president of Croatia, Kolinda GrabarKitarović, well known in the decision-making circles of the USA, NATO, and the European Union. It quickly recruited the new Polish president, Andrzej Duda, who represents the largest and most pro-American state of the Three Seas countries. These activities made it possible to establish an “organization” on September 29, 2015, during a meeting in New York, attended by 11/12 “leaders” of Central European states and 3 representatives of the Atlantic Council management. The Three Seas Initiative, defined as the “presidential platform”, is constantly expanding the fields of its activity, but it is still regarded as a relatively weak structure with an uncertain future. The sources of its relative internal weakness include, firstly, large differences in the potentials, political positions, and geopolitical orientations of the individual member states of the Initiative, and secondly - the opposing influence of external factors. The United States’ aspirations to make the Initiative “transatlantic” have been discreetly opposed since 2018 by the actions of the EU and the German authorities directed towards its “Europeanization”, that is, towards the harmonization of its activities with the position of the Union.

The People’s Republic of China’s Response to the Hybrid War in Syria

The main purpose of the paper is to present the most important determinants and dependencies characterizing the policy of the People’s Republic of China towards hybrid war in Syria since 2011. The paper starts with the definition of hybrid war and its most important determinants. In next part of the article, the role Syria that plays in China’s political strategy has been described. At the outset, relations between Beijing and Damascus during the Cold War and immediately after its completion have been analyzed, when the Chinese side approached with a considerable distance to wider involvement in the Middle East, including Syria, having own internal difficulties, tense relations with the United States and the pro-soviet and then pro-russian position of Damascus. Next, Beijing’s views on the outbreak of the war in Syria have been mentioned, pointing to the most important determinants of the Chinese politics and the ideas for resolving it proposed by the Chinese Communist Party. In addition, goals that the Middle Kingdom wants to achieve in Syria have been presented in the global and economic aspect. The attitude of the communist power to the problem of rebuilding Syria has also been put into account. In conclusion, it has been addressed whether in the era of China’s growing assertiveness on the international arena, a modification of the Chinese position, should be expected.

“The Gateway to Europe”. The Discourse on Poland in the Chinese Press (2015–2020)

The aim of the article is to present the results of the survey on the structure of the discourse on Poland present in the content of various Chinese newspapers and magazines. In the first part, we provide an overview of the history, characteristic and development trends of the Chinese newspaper market. In order to construct the collection of messages about Poland and Poles, a query was carried out in 172 journalistic materials published in 2015-2020. The first step of analysis performed in this research was the lexical analysis of the Chinese print media gathered in the text corpus of app. 160 thous. words. Additionally, the authors of the article used text mining analytics software to extract the main concepts. The next phase of the survey was the computer assisted content analysis. For the research purposes 150 categories dictionaries were created. Those dictionaries consisted of the set of words gathered on the same semantic basis. The unit of the analysis in this phase of the research was a single paragraph (N=2465 units) and the results of this analysis were the hierarchy and key-ness of collective symbols, themes, actors and places present in the press discourse on Poland. In the last part of the research—as a result of factor analysis—the structure of the discourse on Poland in the Chinese press was reduced to 9 strongest factors determining which different (detailed) categories have the tendency to co-occur and that is why they create easily distinguishable configurations.

Polish Theatre on Chinese Stage - a short introduction

In the second decade of the 21st century the number of Polish theater pieces in China increased in comparison with previous years. Polish plays and performances raised a great interest of Polish art among Chinese theatrologists and the theatre circles, forming an excellent reputation for Polish culture in artistic and opinion-making circles. The dynamic and effective promotion of the Polish culture in China depends on the economic and political relations of both of the countries. From the Polish side, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute (IAM), the Polish Institute in China (part of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Beijing) and various Polish theater groups effectively show the initiative to present the best of Polish theater art to Chinese audience. In the recent years Polish theater appears at major theatre festivals in China, books on Polish theater are being published and there are new translations of Polish drama, which proves that only in a few years Polish theater became familiar to Chinese theatregoers.

The image of Chinese and Japanese Theatre in selected popular and artistic press printed in Poland in 1930s.

Journalists who described Oriental theatres usually based their narrative on personal experience. Both specialist, mass and popular press paid particular attention to elements that distinguished Japanese and Chinese theatre from their European counterpart. The length of performance, innovative technical solutions, different acting style were the elements that received most attention. Nonetheless, sometimes it was impossible to explain the origins of those differences. Furthermore, the above-mentioned differences usually spoke against Chinese theatre. It was criticized for different music, moveable stage scenery, exaggerated acting that was hard to understand. Such attitude was the result of lack of understanding of Chinese opera’s conventions. On the other hand, press eagerly commended the richness of Chinese actors’ costumes and ,,shadow puppet theatre”. Moreover, Polish press also stressed that both classical and modern Chinese theatre enjoyed immense popularity among Chinese people. Polish press went easy on theatrical art in Japan depicting differences that were in many cases the same as in Chinese theatre as something neutral, even positive as it gave the play magical touch. Sometimes it was emphasized that Japanese theatre could become a source of inspiration for its European counterpart. It was praised for masks, costumes, moveable stage scenery and music. It is interesting that in the last two instances Chinese theatre was looked down on. Polish press also spoke favourably of puppet theatre and ,,Takarazuka” performances. On the other hand, magazines’ opinions on acting varied.

Between aesthetics and politics. The works of Radwa Ashour as an example of committed literature

The article discusses committed literature in the contemporary Arab world on the basis of the works of Radwa Ashour (Raḍwà Āšūr, 1946-2014) and its role in shaping social opinion and attitude. Based on the concept of Jacques Rancière, the author analyzes the life and oeuvres of Radwa Ashour in terms of her commitment in the current problems of Egypt and the Arab world, putting forward the thesis that practically from the first to the last works, Ashour consciously uses literature as a sensitive instrument for diagnosis of the condition of Arab society on the one hand, and as an effective tool for shaping attitudes towards specific phenomena on the other hand - often in opposition to the official state discourse. Where direct criticism of government policy due to political censorship and the lack of freedom of speech is not possible, space opens up for an indirect form of discourse offered by literature and art.

On security in cyberspace

[book review Bezpieczeństwo w cyberprzestrzeni. Wybrane zagadnienia]

О безопасности в киберпространстве

[рецензия книги Bezpieczeństwo w cyberprzestrzeni. Wybrane zagadnienia]

Different faces of security

[book review Państwo w obliczu współczesnych wyzwań. O cyberbezpieczeństwie i innych zagrożeniach na przykładzie wybranych państw azjatyckich]

Разные стороны безопасности

[рецензия книги Państwo w obliczu współczesnych wyzwań. O cyberbezpieczeństwie i innych zagrożeniach na przykładzie wybranych państw azjatyckich]

Regional problems of the Middle and Far East

[book review Współczesny regionalizm Bliskiego i Dalekiego Wschodu]

Региональные проблемы Ближнего и Дальнего Востока

[рецензия книги Współczesny regionalizm Bliskiego i Dalekiego Wschodu]

A look at the Chinese art of abstract ink painting

[book review Breaking the Ink: Abstract Ink Art in Mainland China]

Взгляд на китайское искусство абстрактной живописи тушью

[рецензия книги Breaking the Ink: Abstract Ink Art in Mainland China]

Выступление Е. П. господина Нгуен Хунга, Чрезвычайного и Полномочного Посла Социалистической Республики Вьетнам в Республике Польша по случаю 76-й годовщины Дня национальной независимости (2 сентября 2021 г.)

SPIS TREŚCI / CONTENTS / ОГЛАВЛЕНИЕ

Regional studies within the discipline of international relations to 1989

The aim of the article is to analyse the genesis and evolution of regional studies from the interwar period to the end of the Cold War. It is based on the research assumption that regional studies throughout this period developed in close association with the study of international relations, reaching the status of a sub-discipline of international relations. Regional studies are a sub-discipline of studies of international relations because their subject matter is international relations in a given region (regional system), which, according to the adopted systematics of the discipline’s research area, is an intermediate level of analysis between the state and the global system. Therefore, it is natural to ask what premises and assumptions were the basis for the interdependent development of research on regionalism and international relations, which led to the formation of regional studies as a sub-discipline of international relations? Trying to answer this research question, the following hypothesis can be formulated: regional studies as a sub-discipline of international relations was created through the efforts of international relations researchers to find an optimal level of research and theorizing that could combine the perspective of the state and its foreign policy with the perspective of the entire international system. It was also a manifestation of the desire to deepen research understood as the formulation of fully verifiable theories based on more available empirical data at the regional subsystem level.

Israel and Azerbaijan in the 21st century – sincere cooperation or a marriage of convenience? Outline of the issues

Relations between Israel and Azerbaijan were established in 1991. Israel is now one of Azerbaijan’s key partners. Despite the difficult geopolitical situation of both countries, they are developing cooperation in the field of trade, military, technical and political matters. In view of the developing relations between Azerbaijan and Israel, both countries benefit from mutual economic benefits and have also become strategic partners. The alliance with Azerbaijan gives Israel the opportunity to improve relations with Turkey and counterbalance Iran’s influence in the region. Azerbaijan, on the other hand, is developing rapidly as a result of cooperation with Israel and is becoming a key player in the South Caucasus region.

Evangelical churches in the conflict zone in Eastern Ukraine in the years 2014–2019

Polish scientific publications regarding the conflict in Eastern Ukraine rarely describe the situation of religious minorities in the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. They are more focused on its political, economic and military aspects. The author decided to verify the hypothesis that the conflict in eastern Ukraine has only political background, not religious, and, therefore, he has formulated the two research questions. First: what forms did the persecutions of Evangelical Christians take, and how did it affect the activities of these Christians? Second: what were the reasons for the persecutions of the Evangelical Christians? The text consists of three parts and conclusions. The first part provides general information about Evangelical Christians in eastern Ukraine. The cases of persecution of this group between 2014 and 2019 are further described. The third part examines the factors determining the position of evangelical Christians in the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic. The last part of the article contains conclusions. The deliberations were prepared on the basis of carefully verified materials in English, Ukrainian and Polish. Many publications were downloaded from the websites of various international organizations, think tanks and research institutions. The author used a qualitative approach and referred to the sociological analysis of the conflict, taking into account political and religious studies.

Gender aspects of training a specialist in international affairs

The article discusses the specificity of the influence of the gender factor on the education of students in the fields of international relations and international regional studies. The topicality of the research results mainly from the contemporary feminization of higher education, as well as the growing professional interest of women in international relations. The research and teaching activity of modern universities is extremely important in the context of the development of the “knowledge society”, for the effective functioning of which it is necessary to actively engage the intellectual capital of both men and women. Therefore, universities should not only become “factories of knowledge”, but also shape the gender culture of students. The problem of the gender characteristics of the scientific and educational community of universities is extremely important. The authors present the topic on the one hand on the basis of contemporary gender studies in the field of international relations, both Russian and Western scientists, and on the other – on the basis of the analysis of specific data on the feminization of study programs in the field of international subjects of Russian universities in the context of the perspectives of building gender parity in practice international relations and world politics.

Selected aspects of formal and non-formal education in shaping society’s awareness of security

Based on theoretical considerations and analyzing practical activities implemented in the area of shaping public awareness of security, the article attempts to characterize educational entities, non-governmental organizations and uniformed services that have the most significant impact on the issues discussed. The aim of the article is to present the process of transferring knowledge, shaping skills and competences in the area of security through institutional education and the activity of all entities operating in the process of shaping human security. The article presents a modern and comprehensive approach to the implementation of tasks in the field of education for security, the essence of cooperation between formal and non-formal education and its role in shaping the public awareness of security, taking into account its interdisciplinarity. It was pointed out that the condition for building a strong state security system is the education of an aware society, prepared to react to events with the features of a crisis.

The impact of means of transport on the mortality of road users in the European Union

Road safety is one of the priorities of the European Commission, which is referred to in strategic documents of the European Union. For many years, ambitious goals have been set to reduce the number of road accidents and their deaths. Annual statistics confirm their gradual decline, but not in the amounts assumed. The aim of the research aimed at solving a practical problem, the conclusions of which were included in the article, was to demonstrate the impact of means of transport on the mortality of road users in the European Union. The main research problem to be solved by the quantitative and qualitative analysis of road accidents in the EU for 2010-2019 was included in the question: What impact do means of transport have on the mortality of road users in the European Union? Road accidents that occurred in 2010-2020 in all Member States were investigated. Nevertheless, statistical data on road accidents for 2010-2019 were used for detailed research. The resignation from the presentation of data for 2020 was caused by the lack of their reliability. The European Commission estimated that lower traffic volumes related to the COVID-19 pandemic could have contributed to fewer road accidents and fatalities. Seven main categories of vehicles that were involved in fatal road accidents were selected for the study. They include bicycles, mopeds, motorcycles, passenger cars, delivery vans, trucks (<3.5t), buses and coaches. Due to the significant share of pedestrians as victims of road accidents in the total number of fatalities, this category was also examined. The conducted research confirmed that the number of road accidents with the participation of the analyzed means of transport had a direct proportional influence on the number of fatalities, while maintaining the percentage ratio at an almost unchanged level. This statement shows that the goals of reducing the number of road fatalities set by the European Commission are incorrect, especially the vision of zero road fatalities by 2050.

Behavioural Data in Credibility Assessment: Case Study of Kaja Godek’s Explanatory Statement of Anti-LGBT Law

The paper explores the application of behavioural data analysis in the credibility assessment of a speaker. It presents how researchers investigate non-verbal communication, expressions of emotions or indicators of arousal to evaluate congruency using audiovisual material. Furthermore, the case study of Polish political activist Kaja Godek’s explanatory statement of an anti-LGBT bill on October 28, 2021, suggests possible ways, in which the automated system FaceReader (and Facial Action Coding System as its theoretical background) may enrich methods of social science. As a result, it offers an example of an innovative approach towards political communication and the credibility of an argument.

Youth councils and their participation on the decision-making process on a local level in Poland

Youth Councils in Poland have been operating since 2001. According to the Act on commune self-government, these councils are consultative entities whose purpose is, inter alia, giving opinions on normative acts issued by local government bodies. The article presents the results of research carried out as part of the project ‘From dialogue to deliberation. Non-public entities as (not) present participant in the local decision-making process’. The research covered Youth Councils and the participation of these entities in the decision-making process at the local level in Poland.

Report on the Seminar of the “Nowa Polityka Wschodnia” [New Eastern Politics] “Nationalisms and extremisms in Asia”, Toruń, September 22, 2021

Отчет с семинара «Новой восточной политики» «Национализм и экстремизм в Азии», Торунь, 22 сентября 2021 года

Considerations on state security

[book review Państwo-polityka-bezpieczeństwo wewnętrzne]

Соображения о государственной безопасности

[рецензия книги Państwo-polityka-bezpieczeństwo wewnętrzne]

Отношения США и Китая в контексте современных технологий

[рецензия книги Stosunki chińsko-amerykańskie w warunkach rozwoju nowoczesnych technologii]

Political and social evolution of the post-Soviet area

[book review Przemiany polityczno-społeczne w przestrzeni poradzieckiej]

Политическая и социальная эволюция постсоветского пространства

[рецензия книги Przemiany polityczno-społeczne w przestrzeni poradzieckiej]

Важность чернил в современном китайском искусстве

[рецензия книги Breaking the Ink: Abstract Ink Art in Mainland China]

Послание Президента Республики Казахстан Касым-Жомарта Токаева к народу (1 сентября 2021 г.)

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan on November 8 – Victory Day in the Republic of Azerbaijan

Заявление Министерства иностранных дел Азербайджанской Республики по случаю 8 ноября – Дня Победы в Азербайджанской Республике

List of reviewers for 2020

Рецензенты на 2021 год