Artykuł prezentuje uwarunkowania strategii bezpieczeństwa Hiszpanii wobec Sahelu Zachodniego, szczególnie Mali, Mauretanii i Nigru. Przedstawia przesłanki oraz charakter realizacji hiszpańskich misji wojskowo-szkoleniowych i policyjnych w tym regionie Afryki. Rozważania zawarte w analizie wskazują na transnarodowy aspekt zagrożeń płynących ze strony ekstremizmu dżihadystycznego, pozostającego tak często w symbiozie ze zorganizowaną przestępczością, czerpiącą profity z nielegalnej migracji, handlu bronią i substancjami psychoaktywnymi. Zależności te są widoczne w odniesieniu do wielu państw afrykańskich, m.in. obszaru Sahelu. Artykuł podejmuje refleksję nad znaczeniem sytuacji tego regionu dla bezpieczeństwa południowej flanki Unii Europejskiej, a zarazem wyszczególnia przedsięwzięcia i projekty tam realizowane przez państwa Europy Południowo-Zachodniej (Hiszpanię, Francję i Włochy).

Importance of initiation rituals and tattoos in Central American “maras” and “pandillas”

The main purpose of the paper is to analyse the phenomenon of the identity of some criminal gangs in Central America (maras y pandillas). It shows mechanisms and symbolic aspects of their activities in this region, especially in Guatemala, Salvador and Honduras, exemplified by a group called la Mara Salvatrucha. The article presents the cultural and social background of these criminal communities involved in many illegal activities and the multidimensional problem of violence. The paper is focussed on the identity of the members of the criminal gangs analysed as the subcultures of violence and as a kind of contemporary urban tribes. It shows the most important symbolic aspects of their identity: rites of passage, the tattoo meanings, the importance of the image etc. The article refers to the factors of popularity of these criminal groups among many young, poor and marginalised people in Central America.

The organized crime in Poland after 1989 – Pruszkow and Wolomin

The collapse of the Eastern Bloc in 1989 has led to meaningful social, political and economic transformations. The destabilization of polish country, during changes in political system, started the development of the organized crime, abusing the authority and investigative authorities’ weakness. The 90’s are the greatest time of two, coming from Warsaw, groups, which managed to subordinate the whole criminal country – Pruszkow and Wolomin. The “mafia decade” of Pruszkow and Wolomin is the time of: earning enormous fortune, spectacular events and extremely bloody war, carrying a huge number of victims. 90’s is also the time of using experience in creating effective system of fighting against organized crime. Introducing in 1997 the term of crown witness – “apologetic criminal” became the decisive moment. Spectacular end of Pruszkow was the effect of the statement of crown witness – gangsters aggravating their cooperatives. It is all mostly about Jaroslaw Sokolowski, nickname “Masa”. His statement appeared crucial during investigations at the most important members of Pruszkow’s group. Sokolowski`s “flawlessness” as a crown witness, is not clear, in spite 20 years lasted from mentioned incident. The case of Pruszkow and Wolomin presents the danger for country`s safety, what comes from the side of organized crime, during political transformation.