Suchergebnisse

The relations between the Russian Federation and Belarus in the 21st century are characterized by dynamics and volatility. The integration processes of both countries, initiated in the 1990s, are an element of the strategy of domination in the post-Soviet area, which is consistently implemented by Russia. The authors conclude that this strategy in the case of Belarus is a kind of mixture of soft power and hard power, and the choice of instruments depends on the stability of the authoritarian regime, which is embodied by Alyaksandr Lukashenka. The rigged presidential elections triggered a wave of protests, leading to the gradual loss of social legitimacy by the Belarusian president. Russia has a dilemma: whether to continue to support Lukashenka, who is losing support, or to look for a "new personal alternative", a politician that would guarantee the implementation of a "pro-Russian vector" in Belarus's domestic and foreign policy. Regardless of how the situation develops, Russia's strategic goal remains to keep Belarus in its sphere of influence using the already existing mechanisms of cooperation between the two countries.

The purpose of the paper is to present the images of career women in the Arab world, and in particular to demonstrate different paths taken by them to success. An important topic is also how such women are perceived by the public. In the study, the term success is objectified and results primarily from the position occupied by women in the social hierarchy2 , especially in the politics and business (including show business). So far the problem of career women in the Arab world (and in abroader sense: in the Muslim world) has not been an object of studies or analyses, the more difficult it is, therefore, to discuss the images shaped. Thus, this is apreliminary study with aresearch base constituted by images of twelve women. (fragment of the text) ; Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie wizerunków kobiet sukcesu w świecie arabskim oraz ukazanie różnorodności sposobów osiągania przez nie sukcesu. Istotnym wątkiem jest także odbiór społeczny takich kobiet. W opracowaniu pojęcie sukcesu ma wymiar zobiektywizowany i wynika przede wszystkim z miejsca zajmowanego przez kobiety w hierarchii społecznej, zwłaszcza w polityce oraz w biznesie (w tym show-biznesie). Problematyka kobiet sukcesu w świecie arabskim (i szerzej: muzułmańskim) nie była jak dotychczas przedmiotem badań i analiz, tym trudniej jest więc mówić o kształtowanych wizerunkach. Niniejsze opracowanie ma zatem charakter wstępnego studium, a podstawę badawczą stanowią sylwetki dwunastu kobiet. (fragment tekstu)

W niniejszym artykule dokonano analizy bezpieczeństwa energetycznego zarówno w kontekście regionalnym, jak i globalnym. Punktem wyjœcia w analizie polityki prowadzonej przez Rosję, Wenezuelę i państwa Zatoki Perskiej stało się "pierwsze prawo petropolityki", zgodnie z którym im wyższa jest średnia cena ropy naftowej i gazu na rynkach swiatowych, tym niższe jest przeświadczenie rządów o konieczności przeprowadzenia wewnętrznych reform politycznych i gospodarczych, a ich polityka zagraniczna i bezpieczeństwa jest bardziej konfrontacyjna. W opinii autora artykułu zarówno kontrowersje wokół projektu Nord Stream, jak również gwałtowne protesty na Bliskim Wschodzie określane mianem "Arabskiej Wiosny", przemawiają za poparciem hipotezy o potrzebie dążenia do przestrzegania reguł demokracji i solidarności pomiêdzy pañstwami jako mechanizmu zapewniaj¹cego bezpieczeñstwo energetyczne w skali globalnej. ; This article analyzes energy security in the context of the regional and global levels. The starting point in analyzing policies pursued by Russia, Venezuela and the Gulf States has become "the first law of petropolitics" according to which, the higher the average price of oil and gas on world markets, the lower is the conviction of the governments of the necessity of internal political and economic reforms, and their foreign and security policy is more confrontational. In the author's opinion, both the controversy surrounding the Nord Stream project as well as the violent protests in the Middle East, support the hypothesis about the need to promote compliance with the rules of democracy and solidarity between countries as a mechanism for ensuring energy security on a global scale.

Effective regulation of the financial market is clearly crucial to innovation and the future success of the financial services industry and, in particular, FinTech companies. Prior to the global financial crisis, financial innovation was viewed very positively, resulting in many markets in the deregulatory approach to financial regulation. During the crisis, the regulatory pendulum swang to the other extreme. Dramatic technological change has spurred the development of financial technology companies (FinTech). FinTech and other financial services providers profoundly challenge the current regulatory paradigm. Financial regulators are increasingly seeking to balance the traditional regulatory approaches to financial stability and consumer protection with promoting growth and innovation. The resulting regulatory innovations include technology, innovation hubs, regulatory sandboxes, and special charters. This paper analyses new regulatory approaches, structured experimentalism (such as sandboxes), and the development of specific new regulatory frameworks.

This paper is devoted to the analysis of selected aspects how Ukrainian schools present the historical narrative that covers the post-World War II history of this country – particularly the period of late socialism. My goal was to establish how post-Maidan textbooks presented the times when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union in its superpower phase. I was especially interested in the current assessment of such phenomena as: post-Stalinist modernization, the movements opposing communist ideology, and the late socialist concept of the Soviet people. The source material was five new textbooks for historical education at high-school level approved for use by the Ukrainian authorities in 2019. The basic research method was discourse analysis: the content of the textbooks were critically evaluated in light of the ongoing political and social situation. Among the theoretical assumptions that were applied in the paper was that the historical narrative has a key importance as a function of the nation-state and as such serves its interests. To conclude the analysis below, it should be emphasized that historical narrative of Ukrainian Schools presents the past of the country in the second half of the 20th century as a general process of gaining independence from the Soviet centre. In the context of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, it should be assumed that the emancipatory nature of the interpretation of Ukraine's national history is now irreversible.

Creating independent agencies, offices or anti-corruption commissions becomes a common practice used by the states aiming to a comprehensive fight against corruption. This kind of institutional arrangements introduced in many countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and America, also in Poland created an anti-corruption agency called the Central Anticorruption Bureau. The need for creation of anti-corruption agencies also highlighted at international level. A number of international documents on preventing and combating corruption contain a requirement to create the appropriate agency or unit whose main purpose is to prevent and combat corruption. The paper reviews the institutional solutions adopted in different countries, with special emphasis on the leading anti-corruption agencies in the world (in Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia) and those countries, where according to the Corruption Perceptron Index, which estimates the level of corruption in the country, have not reached the highest results, to demonstrate that such institutions per se do not eliminate corruption. Many other factors play more important role, like, three-dimensional strategy: detection, prevention and public education. ; Tworzenie niezależnych agencji, biur lub komisji antykorupcyjnych staje się częstą praktyką stosowaną przez państwa zmierzającą do kompleksowej walki z korupcją. Tego rodzaju rozwiązania instytucjonalne wprowadziło wiele państw w Europie, Afryce, Azji i Ameryce, również w Polsce utworzono antykorupcyjną agencję pod nazwą Centralne Biuro Antykorupcyjne. Na potrzebę tworzenia agencji antykorupcyjnych zwrócono również uwagę na płaszczyźnie międzynarodowej. Szereg konwencji dotyczących zapobiegania i zwalczania korupcji zobowiązuje strony do tworzenia odpowiedniego organu lub organów, których głównym celem będzie zapobieganie i zwalczanie korupcji. W opracowaniu dokonano przeglądu rozwiązań instytucjonalnych przyjmowanych w różnych państwach, zwracając szczególną uwagę na wiodące w świecie agencje antykorupcyjne (w Hong Kongu, Singapurze i Australii) oraz na te państwa, które wg indeksu percepcji korupcji szacującego ogólny poziom korupcji w państwie nie osiągnęły najwyższych wyników, by wykazać, że instytucje takie per se nie likwidują korupcji. Istotną rolę bowiem odgrywa wiele innych czynników, w szczególności trójwymiarowa strategia: wykrywania, zapobiegania i edukacji społecznej.

The chief purpose of BBC World Service, Radio France Internationale, and Voice of America in the Context of International Communication: From Propaganda to Public Diplomacy is to analyse the role radio stations fulfil for international communication nowadays in the light of the roles they served in the past (that is, the times when radio dominated). During the interwar period and right before World War II, new radio stations came to being that aimed at broadcasting content targeted at the listeners abroad. Initially, these radio stations were transmitting mostly official messages or functioning as private point-to-point communication; in both cases, they functioned similarly to telegraphs (assuming one addresser and one addressee). Along with not only the development of the transmitting and receiving devices but also the widening of our knowledge on radio waves, radio turned into a mass medium, thanks to various "freaks," including investors and other radio lovers. Having access to the network of correspondents and a powerful radio signal, radio stations back then were able to provide live coverage of the events that interested listeners all around the globe. The capacities of radio were significant during World War II as well; precisely, it ceased to serve communication purposes exclusively, and was included into military arsenal (used not only in operations and diversion actions, but also for jamming and scouting). This military conflict showed that the possibility of reaching listeners abroad – that is, the citizens of adversary, allied, and neutral states – had been of enormous importance, whereas the ability of shaping the opinions of foreign citizens had become a crucial part of contemporary warfare. The relevance of radio for international communication was indisputable also during the Cold War. Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty, Voice of America, BBC World Service, Radio France Internationale, Deutsche Welle, Radio Madrid, Radio Moskwa, and Radio China International were fundamentally engaged in both ideological war and public diplomacy. Simultaneously, various international processes changed the position radio occupied among other media; the "Golden Age of Radio" reached a significant decline in the 1950s, when the dominance of radio gave way to the advent of television, whereas from late 1990s on the situation of all media was revolutionised by the birth of the Internet. As a result, digitalisation, convergence, shifts in reception and use of media – not to mention other broader phenomena, including the dominance of audiovisual culture – affected not only listeners and their preferences (inclining to fragmented radio programmes), but also ratings and marketability of radio stations. Finally, since political communication has privileged the audiovisual paradigm, and domestic policy has gradually become a media issue, radio has withdrawn in this area as well, giving primacy to television and new media. Because of the aforementioned factors and shifts, it becomes vital to carefully reconsider the contemporary and international status of radio. After all, one might be tempted to think that radio is no longer in its heyday, whereas both governments and individual listeners do not deem it as a genuine informative medium or a means capable of reaching the foreign public opinion. This book, therefore, explores how Radio France Internationale, Voice of America, and BBC World Service changed diachronically in reference to other radio stations alike, points to rules they follow and formats their programmes take, and analyses their recent activity in international communication between 2014 and 2018. Chapter 1 introduces theoretical vocabulary international communication relies on, and juxtaposes its various definitions with related cultural phenomena, including transcultural communication, political communication, propaganda, public diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, media diplomacy, and soft power. Aside from analysing these concepts, this chapter also proposes an innovative definition of international communication and its graphic model. Chapter 2 is diachronic, and it focuses on the discovery of radio waves and the invention of radio read from the technical perspective, which determines the position of radio for international communication. Moreover, the early forms of radio are recalled with regard to their significance for foreign communication. Finally, the development of radio and broadcasting in France, United Kingdom, and the USA is presented with an emphasis put on the differences between their broadcasting models. Chapter 3 is devoted to the development of international broadcasting, dividing it into three stages: 1) the early 20th century (until the 1930s), when radio waves were being tested, the first experimental stations came to being, and first international radio stations were founded, including those in Nauen and Zessen (Germany), Sainte-Assise and Le Post Colonial (France), Eindhoven and Heuzen (Netherlands), Chelmsford (United Kingdom); 2) the World War II period, in which the uses of radio for international military communication are analysed in reference to propaganda radio stations (Radio Berlin, Radio Hamburg, Radio Stuttgart, Radio Tokio) and its prominent figures (William Joyce ("Lord Haw-Haw"), Paul Ferdonnet ("the Stuttgart Traitor"), Mildred Gillars ("Axis Sally"), Ive Togure ("Tokyo Rose")), British pirate radio stations functioning in response to the Axis propaganda (for instance, Gustav Siegfried Eins), the radio stations of French Resistance with a special emphasis put on Radio Brazzaville, that is, Charles de Gaulle's chief means of international communication, and, finally, Voice of America serving for public diplomacy purposes; 3) the Cold War period, in which the objectives, assumptions, and strategies of international broadcasting posed by France, United Kingdom, the United States of America between 1945 and late 1980s are examined. The last chapter is entirely dedicated to BBC World Service, Radio France Internationale and Voice of America nowadays, paying attention to their regulations, structures, and broadcasting services. These radio stations are understood as means used for public diplomacy of their countries, and their institutional and formal connections to government institutions are discussed. Consequently, this comparative chapter refers to the legal contexts, supported by acts and regulations of a given country, presents the principles and levels of funding, reconstructs the institutional positions of radio among other media, and characterises broadcasting in terms of services, directions, and programmes. The analysis of contemporary strategies and activities of the discussed radio stations makes it possible to claim that the use of radio for international communication has not lost its relevance, and currently is supported with television and the Internet, that is, the media that were invented later in the course of historical progress. Radio stations, therefore, are not held in media bubbles; rather, they are still significant means of foreign communication because of their specificities. Furthermore, radio communication complies with strategic foreign policies, which affects various parts of the world where levels of technological development diverge whilst the access to television or the Internet connection is not available. In the countries stricken with military conflicts or poverty, radio is still the predominant means of communication that serves numerous purposes; not only is it a source of information on military operations, epidemiological situations, climate and natural disasters, but also it educates its listeners on civil and human rights, especially women's rights. Finally, Voice of America, BBC World Service, and Radio France Internationale support policies against extremism and propaganda (for instance, fake news). The services of the discussed radio stations are related to the policies the United States of America, United Kingdom, and France put forward against ISIL and international terrorism, but also to those actions that support democratic changes in the countries affected by war and political unrest.

The Second World War brought significant political changes to European monarchies. Immediately after the war, six kingdoms ceased to exist and became republics. This concerned Eastern European countries in the Soviet sphere of influence, as well as Italy, where Victor Emmanuel III had to pay for years of cooperation with the fascist regime. Before the outbreak of the war, at least three European monarchies had considerable power, holding the most important prerogatives in their hands: this was the case in Romania, Bulgaria and Albania. Such a political model failed to survive the war, as after 1945 the kings and princes of the Old Continent only "reigned, but did not rule" (only Louis II, Prince of Monaco kept a stronger position until the end of the 1950s). It used to happen during the war that in countries with an established parliamentary system the monarch played a greater role than during the years of peace (the most prominent example being Wilhelmina, the Queen of the Netherlands). The article also presents other issues important to the royal authority – the functioning of monarchs in exile, the threat to their lives, the exercise of sovereignty (usually only in a ceremonial capacity) over the armed forces, and abdications forced by the circumstances. ; Druga wojna światowa przyniosła europejskim monarchiom poważne zmiany ustrojowe. Bezpośrednio po wojnie sześć królestw przestało istnieć, stały się republikami. Dotyczyło to państw Europy Wschodniej, które znalazły się w radzieckiej strefie wpływów, a także Włoch, gdzie Wiktorowi Emanuelowi III przyszło zapłacić za lata współpracy z faszystami. Przed wybuchem wojny przynajmniej w trzech europejskich monarchiach władca posiadał istotną władzę, skupiając w swych rękach najważniejsze uprawnienia – tak było w Rumunii, Bułgarii i Albanii. Taki model ustrojowy nie przetrwał wojny, po 1945 r. królowie i książęta Starego Kontynentu jedynie "panowali, ale nie rządzili" (silniejszą pozycję do końca lat 50. zachował tylko panujący w Monako Ludwik II). W okresie wojny zdarzało się, że w państwach o ugruntowanym już systemie parlamentarnym władca odgrywał rolę większą niż w latach pokoju (najlepszym przykładem może być holenderska Wilhelmina). W artykule przedstawiono też inne zagadnienia ważne dla władzy królewskiej: funkcjonowanie monarchów na uchodźstwie, zagrożenie ich życia, wykonywanie – zazwyczaj jedynie reprezentacyjne – zwierzchnictwa nad siłami zbrojnymi, a także wymuszone okolicznościami abdykacje.

The aging of the population is the process of increasing the proportion of older people in the population, which is the result of two long‑term demographic trends: a decrease in fertility and an increase in life expectancy. For the correct measurement of the advancement of this process, it is extremely important what age we consider the beginning of the old age. In the traditional approach older people are most often considered to be people over 60 or 65 years of age. In the alternative approach the beginning of the old age can be considered the age which the expected life expectancy is exactly 15 years. In many parts of the world, the phenomenon of depopulation may appear in the coming years, and the number of children will be lower than the number of older people. In the future, older people will be in nearly one third of their entire population in many regions. However, the percentage of people who have 15 or fewer years to live will stabilize in the future at about 15% of the total population in the most developed countries. Therefore, the beginning of the old age will grow in the future up to 70 years and more in the most developed countries. ; Starzenie się ludności oznacza proces wzrostu odsetka osób starszych w populacji, który jest efektem dwóch długoterminowych trendów demograficznych – zmniejszania się płodności i zwiększania się przeciętnej długości życia. Dla prawidłowego pomiaru zaawansowania tego procesu niezmiernie istotne jest to, jaki wiek uznamy za początek starości. W ujęciu tradycyjnym za osoby starsze uznaje się najczęściej osoby w wieku 60 lub 65 lat i więcej. Natomiast w alternatywnym ujęciu za początek okresu starości można uznać na przykład wiek, dla którego oczekiwane dalsze trwanie życia wynosi dokładnie 15 lat. W wielu miejscach na świecie nieuchronnie wystąpi w przyszłości zjawisko depopulacji, a liczba dzieci stanie się niższa od liczby osób starszych. Osoby w wieku 60 lat i więcej będą w przyszłości stanowić w wielu regionach blisko jedną trzecią ludności. Natomiast odsetek osób, którym zostało mniej niż 15 lat życia, w krajach najbardziej rozwiniętych ustabilizuje się w przyszłości na poziomie około 15% ich populacji. Dlatego granica określająca początek okresu starości w ujęciu tradycyjnym będzie się w przyszłości zwiększać nawet do 70 lat i więcej w państwach najbardziej rozwiniętych.

The aging of the population is the process of increasing the proportion of older people in the population, which is the result of two long‑term demographic trends: a decrease in fertility and an increase in life expectancy. For the correct measurement of the advancement of this process, it is extremely important what age we consider the beginning of the old age. In the traditional approach older people are most often considered to be people over 60 or 65 years of age. In the alternative approach the beginning of the old age can be considered the age which the expected life expectancy is exactly 15 years. In many parts of the world, the phenomenon of depopulation may appear in the coming years, and the number of children will be lower than the number of older people. In the future, older people will be in nearly one third of their entire population in many regions. However, the percentage of people who have 15 or fewer years to live will stabilize in the future at about 15% of the total population in the most developed countries. Therefore, the beginning of the old age will grow in the future up to 70 years and more in the most developed countries. ; Starzenie się ludności oznacza proces wzrostu odsetka osób starszych w populacji, który jest efektem dwóch długoterminowych trendów demograficznych – zmniejszania się płodności i zwiększania się przeciętnej długości życia. Dla prawidłowego pomiaru zaawansowania tego procesu niezmiernie istotne jest to, jaki wiek uznamy za początek starości. W ujęciu tradycyjnym za osoby starsze uznaje się najczęściej osoby w wieku 60 lub 65 lat i więcej. Natomiast w alternatywnym ujęciu za początek okresu starości można uznać na przykład wiek, dla którego oczekiwane dalsze trwanie życia wynosi dokładnie 15 lat. W wielu miejscach na świecie nieuchronnie wystąpi w przyszłości zjawisko depopulacji, a liczba dzieci stanie się niższa od liczby osób starszych. Osoby w wieku 60 lat i więcej będą w przyszłości stanowić w wielu regionach blisko jedną trzecią ludności. Natomiast odsetek osób, którym zostało mniej niż 15 lat życia, w krajach najbardziej rozwiniętych ustabilizuje się w przyszłości na poziomie około 15% ich populacji. Dlatego granica określająca początek okresu starości w ujęciu tradycyjnym będzie się w przyszłości zwiększać nawet do 70 lat i więcej w państwach najbardziej rozwiniętych.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has triggered an economic slowdown worldwide, aggravating those steadily accumulated inequalities in income and wealth redistribution. Western-type capitalism, international cooperation, and European integration have found themselves at risk. This article points out the resemblances and dissimilarities in policies combating the recessions of 2008 and 2020 on both sides of the Atlantic, focusing specifically on the EU and Canada. It assesses the rising popularity of the welfarestate concept applied both to individuals and entire businesses deemed essential for democracy, notably in the EU, for which the protection of citizens' well-being and solidarity values are at the core of bloc integration. Conceptually conflicting solutions for those crises reflect a profound shift in policy making, reinforcing state interventions vs the neoliberal approach and intensifying discussions on a universal basic income as a tool in redressing socio-economic inequalities. This paper highlights the need for a trans-disciplinary approach to benefi t policy making.