Slovenia – the EU-Balkan Bridge

Słowenia – unijno-bałkański pomost

Author(s): Marcin Dębicki / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 01/2010

The article attempts to characterize the socio-cultural specificity of Slovenia. Attention has been drawn to the coexistence of selected elements that apparently influence the shape of the contemporary identity of the inhabitants of this small country, such as the Habsburg and Yugoslavian legacy or successes in the process of European integration. Separate reflection has been devoted to reasons of a lack of interest in Slovenia among Poles despite relatively close geographical distance between the two countries. The results of research on Poles’ attitude to Slovenians have also been analyzed and the emergent picture is complemented by results of a mini-survey on the image of Slovenia among university students.

Reviews

Oceny i omówienia

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 01/2010

Jürgen Habermas, Ach, Europa (omów. Piotr Cichocki) . . . 265 Joanna Sondel-Cedarmas, Gabriele D’Annunzio. u źródeł ideologicznych włoskiego faszyzmu (omów. Maria Zmierczak) . . . 268 Ralf Georg Czapla, anna Fattori (red.), Die verewigte Stadt. Rom in der deutschsprachigen literatur nach 1945 (omów. Aleksandra Chylewska-Tölle) . . 270 Iwona H o f m a n, Polska – niemcy – Europa. Program zachodni paryskiej „Kultury” (omów. Marceli Kosman) . . 274 Rafał Riedel (red.), Horyzonty tożsamości europejskich (omów. Hanka Dmochowska). . 276

Black Sea Synergy

Synergia Czarnomorska

Author(s): Joanna Cieślińska / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 01/2010

Expansion of the European Union in 2004 made it necessary for the European Communities to develop relations with their new eastern neighbors. This became one of the direct reasons of creating the European Neighbourhood Policy, which was to prevent the emergence of new lines of division in Europe and lead to surrounding the EU with the so-called circle of friends. A proposition for the Black Sea area directed towards promoting stability, peace and security in the region, environment protection as well as infrastructure and the building of bonds between Europe, the Near East and regions of the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea is an initiative known as the Black Sea Synergy, modeled on the Northern (remaining outside the European Neighbourhood Policy) and Mediterranean Dimensions. However, many countries in the region express anxiety that the Synergy is an attempt to substitute EU enlargement policy with cooperation frameworks alternative to membership. Such doubts have been mostly voiced by Turkey because of the German authorship of the Black Sea Synergy, Germany being the strongest opponent of Turkey’s membership in the EU. Debate on the status of the Synergy within the European Neighbourhood Policy is an outcome of controversies and competition between initiatives for the development of the Eastern and Southern Dimension of the ENP.

American Policy of Supporting Democracy in Eastern Europe in the Years 1989-1991

Amerykańska polityka wspierania demokracji w Europie Wschodniej w latach 1989-1991

Author(s): Grzegorz Nycz / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 01/2010

The administration of George Bush Senior strove to influence the democratic changes in the countries of the disintegrating Eastern bloc in accordance with its own interests connected with building a new system of security created by Washington, based on Euroatlantic structures and the conception of political-economic transformation of the Soviet Union and its satellites. Propagation of democracy, a political conception initiated by Ronald Reagan, employed propaganda, economic and political instruments as well as means within the scope of foreign aid in order to support anti-communist opposition and interfere in processes of system reforms in the Eastern bloc. In the discussed period, a gradual evolution of American policy can be observed, consisting in a separation of policy toward the Soviet Union from relations with its hitherto satellites. This policy of “democratic differentiation” favored countries with the fastest rate of liberal transformations. Its instrument was foreign aid, provided among others on the basis of the Support for Eastern European Democracy Act (SEED) by agendas of the American administration – Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), National Fund for Democracy (NED) and non-government organizations.

Competition and Cooperation between the USA and the EU on the WTO Forum

Rywalizacja i współpraca pomiędzy USA a Unią Europejską na forum WTO

Author(s): Marek Rewizorski / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 01/2010

Relations between the USA and the EU as members of the World Trade Organization are function of trade disputes and cooperation. The role of the WTO in dealing with trade conflicts between the USA and the EU consists in inducing both sides to respect the resolutions issued by the Dispute Settlement Body and the Apellate Body, which are internal elements of the organizational structure of this institution. In turn cooperation between the USA and the EU on the WTO forum manifests itself in developing and adjusting aspects of transatlantic dialogue to trade standards introduced by the WTO and in presenting a common stand during trade negotiations with developing countries. Both cooperation and competition between the above mentioned actors of international economic relations is necessary to maintain not only the current round of trade negotiations of the WTO launched at Doha in 2001, but also a plurilateral trade system.

System Reform of the European Union in the Treaty of Lisbon

Reforma ustrojowa unii Europejskiej w traktacie lizbońskim

Author(s): Janusz Józef Węc / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 01/2010

The article deals with the reform of the European Union system in the Lisbon Treaty of 13 December 2007. Analysis is limited to the so-called horizontal changes, also known as structural changes, i.e. those which are significant for the whole EU. Changes in the institutional system, internal market, space of liberty, security and justice, as well as changes in the common foreign policy and security policy of the EU have been left out of considerations. The author therefore focuses on the following issues: transformation of the European Union into a uniform international organization; expansion of the EU’s axiology; establishing of division of competence between the EU and its member states; systematization and simplification of the catalogue of legal acts and legal procedures; modification of the democratic procedures of the EU; strengthening of the position of national parliaments in the legislative process; procedures of revisions of treaties and changes in the functioning of closer cooperation.

The Jubilee Celebrations of the Institute for Western Affairs

Uroczystości jubileuszowe Instytutu Zachodniego

Author(s): Hanka Dmochowska / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 04/2006

Keywords: Polish-German history; Polish politoligy; Polish politologists; Polish historians; history of the Institute for Western Affairs

The first idea of the Institute's aims wa discussed during the World War II during conspirative meetings.

Book Reviews

Oceny i omówienia

Author(s): Danuta Jamiołkowska,Bohdan Gruchman,Mieczysław Stolarczyk,Marcin Piechocki,Michał Nowosielski,Witold Ostant,Stanisław Żerko / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 04/2006

Keywords: Polish history

Book Reviews Joseph Ratzinger, Europa. Jej podwaliny dzisiaj i jutro (omów. Natalia Jackowska) Jadwiga Kiwerska, Świat w latach 1989-2004. Wydarzenia – konflikty – procesy (omów. Witold Ostant) Piotr Kalka, Rola RFN w rozwoju integracji ekonomicznej we Wspólnotach Europejskich (omów. Bohdan Gruchman) Ryszard Zięba, Wspólna Polityka Zagraniczna i Bezpieczeństwa Unii Europejskiej; Ryszard Zięba, Europejska Polityka Bezpieczeństwa i Obrony (omów. Mieczysław Stolarczyk) Populism and Media Democracy, Edited by Beata Ociepka (omów. Marcin Piechocki) Tomasz Białek, Terroryzm. Manipulacja strachem (omów. Witold Ostant) Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann, Spirala milczenia. Opinia publiczna – nasza skó ra społeczna (omów. Michał Nowosielski) Nad Bałtykiem, Pregołą i Łyną. XVI-XX wiek. Księga Pamiątkowa poświęcona jubileuszowi 50-lecia pracy naukowej Profesora Janusza Jasińskiego, pod red. Zenony Rondomańskiej (omów. Danuta Jamiołkowska) Die UdSSR und die deutsche Frage 1941-1948. Dokumente aus dem Archiv für Außenpolitik der Russischen Föderation, bearbeitet und herausgegeben von Jochen P. Laufer und Georgij P. Kynin unter Mitarbeit von Viktor Knoll. Band 1: 22. Juni 1941 bis 8. Mai 1945; Band 2: 9. Mai 1945 bis 3. Oktober 1946; Band 3: 6. Oktober 1946 bis 15. Juni 1948 (omów. Stanisław Żerko) Information Dzienniki czynności Prezydenta RP Władysława Raczkiewicza 1939-1947, t. I: 1939-1942, t. II: 1943-1947, oprac. Jacek Piotrowski (omów. Stanisław Żerko) Manfred Alexander, Kleine Geschichte Polens (omów. Jerzy Kozeński)

The European Union Towards Western Balkans and Turkey

Unia Europejska wobec Bałkanów Zachodnich i Turcji

Author(s): Łukasz Bartkowiak / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 04/2006

The article deals with the policy of the European Union towards Western Balkans and Turkey. The issues discussed include the united Europe’s engagement in the stabilization of the Balkans, reforms implemented in particular countries in the region, as well as the European aspirations of individual states. The complex problem of the EU’s relations with Turkey is also tackled. On account of religion and political culture Turkey was, is and will probably still long be perceived as a country that does not meet the standards of Western Europe. The author draws attention to the fact that Turkey’s integration raises enormous controversies among citizens and politicians alike, whereas the EU is not yet ready to receive the countries of the Western Balkans.

Strain in Transatlantic Relations over the War in Iraq. Theoretical Perspective

Napięcia w relacjach transatlantyckich na tle wojny w Iraku. Perspektywa teoretyczna

Author(s): Marcin Adamczak / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 04/2006

The article deals with turbulence in transatlantic relations over the war in Iraq. The author examines these developments in the perspective of two separate international relations theories: (neo)realism and social constructivism, whose main assumptions are briefly presented. The article tries to answer the following questions: How is the current state of transatlantic relations perceived from the point of view of these theoretical systems? Are they able to propose some non-trivial explanations? Was the post-Cold War tension in transatlantic realations predictable on the basis of these theories? And finally – do they offer predictions of the future course of events?

Constitutional Crisis in the European Union

Kryzys konstytucyjny w Unii Europejskiej

Author(s): Janusz Józef Węc / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 04/2006

The subject matter of the analysis is the political crisis in the European Union resulted from the rejection of the Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe of 29 October 2004 in constitutional referendum in France (29 May 2004) and Holland (1 June 2005). In the first part of the article the author presents fundamental assumptions of constitutional reform of European Union. The second part of the analysis focuses the process of ratification of the Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe. In the last part of the article the author tries to find the answer, what is the essence of the constitutional crisis in the European Union. What is more the author considers three different way of issue of such crisis.

European Union – Institution – Man. Why Can Integration Raise Fear and Dread?

Unia Europejska – instytucja – człowiek. Dlaczego integracja może budzić lęk i strach?

Author(s): Wanda Wyrwińska / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 04/2006

The terror of integration is inherent in the very process of institutionalization: it is a fear of the consequences of the loss of human subjectivity, or putting it differently, of the objectification of the citizen – a fear that bureaucracy will replace the sense of human solidarity. One can say Weber’s message about man ceasing to be the ‘‘master’’ and gradually turning into a ‘‘servant’’ is not far from becoming real, similarly as Jonas’ claim of the ‘‘urge forward’’, which however does not stop resounding in human nature. The European family today is called ‘‘an institution modeled on the state’’, and not described in terms of bonds and relations. The dread is amplified by legally sanctioned modes of coercion and violence as inseparable correlates of formal institutions of common life. The European Union as an institution in ‘‘macro’’ scale can contribute to a sense of alienation and confusion of the human being in the world of public life.

Socio-Cultural Basis of the Process of Identity Formation in Contemporary World

Społeczno-kulturowe podstawy procesu kształtowania tożsamości we współczesnym świecie

Author(s): Jolanta Miluska / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 04/2006

The process of determining one’s identity has a specific historical context. It proceeds in given social and cultural circumstances which differentiate its course and the attributes of identity as well as decide about the kind of problems that need to be faced in creating or accepting one’s identity. The currently ongoing processes of modernization and globalization, accompanied by transformations of the political system in various regions of the world (Central-Eastern Europe among others) make it possible to formulate the problem of the impact of society, especially its culture, specific values, norms and patterns of behaviour on youth and the way in which the latter solve their fundamental developmental task, viz. the determination of their identity.

Manipulation and Democratization in Information Society

Manipulacja a demokratyzacja w społeczeństwie informacyjnym

Author(s): Marian Golka / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 04/2006

Contemporary information society is created by old media (press, radio and television) and new ones (connected with digital generation, transmission and reception of information). Traditional media in particular are not free from manipulation, i.e. intentional attempts to change the recipients’ attitudes while blunting their criticism. The internet renders manipulation difficult but this does not mean that it has a beneficial effect on democratization processes. In this respect its influence is limited, or rather contributes to so-called sham democracy.

The Relation Between Faith and Reason. Two Wings of the Human Spirit

Relacja pomiędzy wiarą a rozumem. Dwa skrzydła ducha ludzkiego

Author(s): Grzegorz Chojnacki / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 04/2006

The relation between faith and reason is one of man’s deepest existential concerns, as everyone seeks in some way to attain certainty about the meaning of one’s life, based on the truth about oneself. John Paul II and Edith Stein are in the mainstream of this quest since both take up reflection on the human spirit which ‘‘rises on two wings’’ – faith and reason, in the attempt to know the truth, not partial but absolute, that takes into account the truth of particular sciences, philosophical truth and religious truth, so as to show the value of seeking the truth as such. Faith and reason start from different points of reference and use different methods of cognition, but they can enrich each other because these two distinct orders ultimately lead to a knowledge of God – the creator of all truth.

Austria’s Presidency in the First Half of 2006

Prezydencja Austrii w pierwszym półroczu 2006 roku

Author(s): Ryszarda Formuszewicz / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 04/2006

In the first half of 1996 Austria held presidency of the European Union for the second time. The scale of challenges to be faced by a country included in the category of small member states was defined above all by a crisis of the EU aggravated by the rejection of the Constitutional Treaty by France and Holland, and in internal relations by a strong Euro-skepticism of the Austrian society. The key issues of this presidency were: debate on the future of the European Union, negotiations on the ultimate financial framework of the EU, the process of enlargement and in the sphere of economy – fostering growth and employment. The international situation also brought to the foreground the problem of energy security. On the whole, Austrian presidency met with positive reactions.

Out of Scientific Chronicle: Cold War (1946-1989). Media and Politics. Condition of Polish-German Relations

Z kroniki naukowej: Zimna wojna (1946-1989). Media a polityka. Stan stosunków polsko-niemieckich

Author(s): Paulina Olechowska,Marcin Piechocki,Ireneusz Smolarkiewicz / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 04/2006

Marcin Piechocki, Zimna wojna (1946-1989) i jej konsekwencje dla ładu międzynarodowego / Cold War (1946-1989) and its Consequences for International Peace Paulina Olechowska, Media a polityka / Media and Politics Ireneusz Smolarkiewicz, Kryzys czy normalność? Stan stosunków polsko-niemieckich / Crisis or Normality? Condition of Polish-German Relations

Constitutional Treaty as a Revisiontreaty of the Treaties Establishing the European Union

Traktat konstytucyjny jako umowa rewizyjna traktatów stanowiących Unię Europejską

Author(s): Krystyna Michałowska-Gorywoda / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 04/2006

Contents of the paper: The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe adopted by the European Convention on 13 June and 10 July 2003, submitted to the president of the European Council in Rome on 18 July 2003 and signed on 29 October by Member States establishes a better division of Union and Member State competences; establishes a merger of the Treaties and the attribution of legal personality to the Union; establishes a simplification of the Union’s instruments of action; establishes the necessary measures to improve the structure and enhance the role of each of the Union’s institutions; establishes the weighted votes system – QMV – qualified majority voting).

Fighting Terrorism in Contemporary World

Zwalczanie terroryzmu we współczesnym świecie

Author(s): Witold Ostant / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 04/2006

September 11, 2001 proved a turning point in the perception of national security. The series of terrorist attacks carried out on the territory of the USA, verified and confirmed the need to tighten international cooperation in the fight against global terrorism. In order for the cooperation to be efficient it should resort to a full range of accessible means, from legal solutions to collaboration of specialized intelligence services, prosecution and counteracting threats. The article shows how much has already been done in the area of fighting terrorism and how many issues still remain open. Without solving them it is impossible to counteract terrorism effectively, respecting international regulations and norms that have been adopted over the last decades.

The Cyprus Conflict in the Context of Turkey Accession to the European Union

Konflikt cypryjski w kontekście wejścia Turcji do Unii Europejskiej

Author(s): Karolina Wierczyńska / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 04/2006

The article: ‘‘Conflict in Cyprus in context of Turkish accession to the European Union’’ describes what problems will have to face Turkey to join the Union. The first part focuses on the history of conflict in Cyprus and the international attempts made to solve the problem. The second part of the essay describes the reaction of the European Court of Human Rights for Turkish violations, finally the article presents Turkish attempts to join the Union and conditions issued by the European Council which have to be fulfilled by Turkey. For example Turkey will have to settle real democracy, implement human rights obligations, or solve the Kurdish question.