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The author distinguishes threats to international security from challenges faced by the security policy of states and collective international actors but approaches them as a certain continuum. The following phenomena are considered threats and challenges in the second decade of the 21st century: military threats (nuclear weapons and their proliferation, conventional weapons and huge military spending), terrorism, other threats (cybernetic, economic and energy-related, ecological), as well as the migration challenge. A separate major challenge, which the author analyses in detail, is the reconfiguration of the international order that has been taking place for more than a decade now. The author believes that this reconfiguration constitutes a serious challenge to the West, including to its security policy. In order to take up this challenge, benefit from it and prevent the emergence of new threats to international security, the West needs to not only consolidate its security system but also engage in dialogue and cooperation with the emerging competitors and rivals challenging the West's global leadership (the emerging powers from BRICS), as the American political scientist Charles Kupchan proposed in 2010, emphasising that lasting peace can be achieved by turning enemies into friends. It is, however, uncertain what kind of foreign policy will be conducted by the new US President, Donald Trump, elected in November 2016.

Understanding cultural patterns and meaning of symbols, that show academics from George H. Mead, through Ruth Benedict, to Cliff ord Geertz, enable the cognition of human behavior and disquisition on its social importance. Commonness and universality of the cultural studies prove that the Humanities' center of gravity moved from describing the natural and material to explaining the cultural and inter-subjective.

The article concerns study trips organised by the Faculty of International Relations of the Polish Naval Academy (Akademia Marynarki Wojennej – AMW) between 2016 and 2019. The text consists of four parts. The first part outlines the theoretical approach to study trips as a teaching technique particularly useful in the study of international relations. A model of a study trip organised by AMW is presented. In the second part, the case studies of six study trips implemented by AMW are discussed and analysed. In the third part, the authors criticise study trips as a teaching tool used under the conditions of the Polish higher education system. In the final part, the author suggests institutionalising study trips. In the authors' opinion, they can become a new distinguishing feature of education in the Polish higher education system, responding to the challenges of the globalising world.

Each state plays international roles, that are determined by the internal and international factors. Amongst them two are crucial: the state's international position and its international identity. The international role of a state is a dynamic expression of its position, provided the state uses that position actively. A state's potential is very important and is a function of internal factors: its geographical environment in the wide sense; its population potential; its economic, scientific, and technical potential; and its military potential. Political, historical and cultural factors, however, are also significant. The perception of a state by other actors on the international stage is also a very important factor in that state's international position and, in consequence, for its international roles. It is closely related to the state's international identity, i.e., the state's self-perception on the basis of its sense of distinctness in relation to others and the traits ascribed to it by other states. The 'international identity' of a state is made up of its 'internal identity', which determines the cohesiveness of its component parts, and its 'external identity', which constitutes its distinctiveness in relation to other states. International roles of state are subject to various classifications and typologies. The most comprehensive classification based on the following criteria: the subjective criterion, the objective criterion, the spatial criterion, the time criterion the attitude toward international reality criterion the hierarchic criterion the efficiency of role criterion. The effectiveness of international roles is a phenomenon of considerable complexity. It is an unusually difficult task to appraise the effectiveness of a given actor's role when it is understood as the cost-efficient realization of a goal. First, costs are hard to measure. Second, in today's interconnected and co-dependent world, a goal could be realized by many entities. I consider that there are three main factors determining the efficiency of roles: 1) the reasonableness of the role's conception, 2) the ability and consistency involved in performing the role, that is, the degree of its realization, and 3) the level of support for a role by the other actors in international relations, and particularly among those affected by itthe development of their international roles. The thesis of the article is to say that Poland is a medium size state and is limited in These limitations should be taken into account by decision-makers in the formulation of the tasks and goals of Polish foreign policy.

Since condemnation of operation Vistula by the Senate, we have conducted a "strategic partnership" policy towards Ukraine, expecting at most symbols, not calling for the memory of thousands of victims murdered in Volyn and Cherven Cities. Driven mainly by Russophobia, we supported the Orange Revolution and Euromaidan. On the latter, our politicians didn't hesitate to join banderite shouts in front of portraits of Bandera and Shukhevych. We should not be surprised then that two hours after the address of the President of Poland Bronislaw Komorowski, The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted without discussion four Acts, which aim were: the recognition of the OUN and the UPA as fi ghters for Samostijna Ukraine, erasing from the collective memory shared 70-year history of the Ukrainian nation and increase of divisions in Ukrainian society. In Poland, the Acts have been passed over by the mass media (except for "Przegląd" and "Nie"). Neither the issue have been raised by the Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz in talks with the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Volodymyr Groysman, nor by the Interior Minister Grezgorz Schetyna during his parliamentary speech on Polish foreign policy and it is even quite carefully sidestepped in the presidential campaign by all parties. Answering the question posed by "Przegląd" – "How Poland should react to the decisions of the authorities of Ukraine regarding members of the OUN and the UPA?" – advisor to the President of Poland, Professor Tomasz Nałęcz, stated, among others, "Let us remember that Ukraine is our neighbour and friend, therefore we should talk to it. I do not think the best way of conversation with a friend is to send a note of protest". In 2010, we had the courage to raise the question of granting a title of Hero of Ukraine to Bandera and Shukhevych by W. Yushchenko and to persuade the European Parliament to express deep indignation (initiator: Paweł Zalewski from PO) and withdraw this Act. Now, all indications are that we lack this courage. It is very diffi cult to speak now about the future of Ukraine and Polish – Ukrainian relations. There are only very few groups, which speak now about the need to change of our eastern policy. The borderland communities haven't obtained in our country organizations which would have an impact on foreign or even economic policy. It can therefore be assumed that regardless of who wins the presidential and parliamentary elections, Poland will continue to pursue a realistic and pragmatic policy, although resulting from Russophobia of Polish political elites and conducted by them historical policy. Previous actions of the Ukrainian authorities suggest that there may occur a scenario known to us from the period after the Orange Revolution. The current Ukrainian authorities do not seek to unite his people for a common goal, but they increase divisions in society. Ukrainian nation needs an agreement and consensus, not creation of new barriers. Polish experience shows that the actual legal, economic and political transformation needs a national consensus rather than replacing it with settlements with the past and nationalism. It seems that Poland irretrievably lost its positions of expert on East. As correctly pointed out Professor Andrzej Walicki "the prestige of Poland asa supposed export on Russia ceased to exist, because our position in Russian affairs is predictable and does not help to solve real problems". Poland should act in order to end the conflict in Ukraine, at the same time attempting to understand both sides of the conflict. Different economic and geopolitic interests causes that the positions of various countries on the events in Ukraine are and will remain diverse. Louis Stomma wrote that "the sudden and incredible love of Poles for modern Ukraine is a sad love without reciprocity". In the interest of Poland is striving for consensus and sensible mediation rather than setting up as a front-line state. A compromise is always possible, but if interest is not mixed with morals and national resentments. Preventing from compromise would reflect on the fate of the whole region and Ukraine would be harmed the most.