Security in the Constitution of 1997 – initial diagnosis

The paper considers the constitutional recognition of security. It includes the basic regulations of the 1997 Constitution. The aim was also to make an initial assessment of the security research results in the doctrine of constitutional law. In conclusion of the article, the need for a new category of security reference was pointed out. The reference does not consist in the state itself, or a citizen, but the Republic of Poland perceived as a common good.

Competences and tasks of the Prime Minister and the government within security policy

In the article the author has analyzed the public administration competent for security policy, centered under the aegis of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers itself. By reviewing the most important legal acts, and based on texts were included the competences and tasks of the institutions established to protect the life and health of citizens of the Republic of Poland, during the time of warand peace. Leaning at scientific journals author described the main functions of institutions that support government and the prime minister in the security policy. By making analysis and based on the descriptions, author reveals changes in the process of creating of institutions protecting internal and external security together under the umbrella of government activity as executive power.

Osiągnięcie wysokiego poziomu bezpieczeństwa wewnętrznego jest jednym z priorytetów Unii Europejskiej. Politykę bezpieczeństwa wewnętrznego UE realizuje, dbając o przestrzeń wolności, bezpieczeństwa i sprawiedliwości. Wobec kryzysu migracyjnego, który trwa już od wielu lat, a obecnie ma nowe oblicze, przed UE pojawiają się nowe wyzwania. UE musi zacieśnić współpracę na wielu poziomach tak, by zapewnić jak najwyższy poziom bezpieczeństwa. Agencje UE wspomagające współpracę w bezpieczeństwie wewnętrznym angażują się w walkę z efektami kryzysu migracyjnego i wspierają siły państwowe przy ochronie granic. Rolę jednej z nich –Europolu – oraz działającego w jego ramach Europejskiego Centrum Zwalczania Przemytu Migrantów – EMSC warto poruszyć w aspekcie rozważań nad współpracą w bezpieczeństwie wewnętrznym. Odpowiedź na kryzys migracyjny musi być bardziej kompleksowa i brać pod uwagę potrzeby zarówno migrantów, jak i państw przyjmujących czy tranzytowych.

The article aims to present the role played in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela by colectivos – criminal groups adhering to extreme leftist ideology. The text characterises the essence of these groups, while highlighting that they are an important factor petrifying the resistance of the Chavist ruling camp. The work also contains an analysis of the impact of colectivos on the electoral process. It was emphasized that the procedure of intimidation of the opposition by members of the discussed groups is only one of the elements that are part of the broadly defined actions carried out by the ruling camp to maintain power, and resulting not only in the deterioration of internal security, but also in violation of the principles of a democratic state governed by the rule of law. The research results indicate that these groups constitute a noticeable and important, although only secondary, means of influencing the opposition.

Visions of external and internal security in the political thought of peasant parties in the Second Polish Republic

Polish political thought of the interwar period basically focused on the achievements of two political camps: the right-wing one centered around National Democracy and its leader Roman Dmowski, and the Belvedere camp led by Jozef Pilsudski. The other political currents, except for the extremes, presented less comprehensive concepts of state and regional security, and both external and internal security. All serious political currents, excluding the extreme and nationalist ones, were united by the desire to fight for Poland’s national security. The unfavorable geopolitical position of the country and the threat coming from the two strongest neighbors (Germany, the USSR) were demonstrated. High hopes were attached to the idea of collective security, in particular, the activities of the League of Nations or regional agreements. The dangers to Poland’s internal security arising from the nationality structure of society (about one-third are national minorities and a large part of them living in compact clusters), social differentiation, including material poverty (the influence of extreme ideologies), district differences (the effect of partitions), and political divisions, were seen as great for Poland’s internal security.

This study aims to provide an overview of the consequences arising from the Brazilian military junta’s adoption of Institutional Act No. 5 in December 1968. In particular, it highlights the effects of departing from the rule of law and the subsequent implementation of methods and measures that characterise the phenomenon known as authoritarian constitutionalism. The study systematically examines the effects of the Act on the mechanisms that safeguard freedom and human rights. The analysis demonstrates that AI-5 serves as a prime example of legal nihilism and played a significant role in the institutionalisation of state terror during Brazil’s period of illiberal rule. This period reinforced the State’s long-standing institutional instability and the ongoing challenges to the legitimacy of power and the rule of law that persist to this day.