Suchergebnisse

The South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) was launched in 1996, however, its functioning is an ongoing research phenomenon. This regional cooperation format includes all 13 states of South-East Europe. It was established as a forum of political dialogue and consultation, where regional issues could be addressed at the highest level. One of the objectives of the SEECP was security cooperation. The aim of this article is to analyse the role of the SEECP in maintaining security in the region of the Western Balkans. This article argues that since 1996, the SEECP has been evolving and is becoming an important format of regional cooperation in South East Europe, however, it plays a limited role in maintaining the military security of the post-conflict states of the Western Balkans. From the point of view of the members of the SEECP, military security and peace could be obtained through the integration of the participants of the SEECP, in particular those located in the Western Balkans, with the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The article also shows that establishing the SEECP did not eliminate tensions and riots based on ethnicity in some states of the Western Balkans and so, the SEECP still has a lot to do in the matters of reconciliation and good-neighbourliness. The article is based on primary and secondary source analysis, case study method comparative analysis, and the historical method.

Following the outbreak of the conflict in Syria, the United States and Russian Federation became involved in the peace process aimed at stabilizing the internal situation. In the initial phase of this process, Russia introduced political plans to resolve the dispute, while successively blocking UNSC projects calling for the resignation of Bashar al-Assad. As a consequence of the changes that took place in Russia's foreign policy after the annexation of Crimea, it began conducting military activities aimed at ousting opposition forces from Syria and preventing the West from making any possible intervention. Due to the lack of a decisive response from the United States, within a few years the Syrian regime's offensive, militarily supported by Russia, reduced the opposition forces supported by the US to the defense. As a result of Russi's intense involvement in the process of resolving the Syrian conflict, this country has once again started to play a key role in the international arena. The conflict in Syria has highlighted the Russian government's aspirations to rebuild its state as a superpower.

The presented article is aimed at reflecting usage of mediation as a form of international conflicts settlement and at revealing its factors, at the example of the case of conflict in Abkhazia, Georgia. The article is a hypothesis on to what extend international or regional organizations act as effective mediators during mediation process. Attempt of conflict regulation and work of the mediation platform created after Russian-Georgian war are discussed.The theory discussing main variables for evaluating international mediation represented in mediation literature have been used for evaluating mediation factors. The article shows the level of mediation effectiveness in international conflicts, when it is not clear which are the conflicting sides; it shows that when there is an influential country, considering its capabilities, it has enough power to act as effective mediator, only in case if it does not have direct interest in the conflict.We have concluded that mediation can be effective only when it is clear which the conflicting sides are. It is considered that international organizations cannot be effective in conflict resolution when a conflict is in cold phase. ; The presented article is aimed at reflecting usage of mediation as a form of international conflicts settlement and at revealing its factors, at the example of the case of conflict in Abkhazia, Georgia. The article is a hypothesis on to what extend international or regional organizations act as effective mediators during mediation process. Attempt of conflict regulation and work of the mediation platform created after Russian-Georgian war are discussed.The theory discussing main variables for evaluating international mediation represented in mediation literature have been used for evaluating mediation factors. The article shows the level of mediation effectiveness in international conflicts, when it is not clear which are the conflicting sides; it shows that when there is an influential country, considering its capabilities, it has enough power to act as effective mediator, only in case if it does not have direct interest in the conflict.We have concluded that mediation can be effective only when it is clear which the conflicting sides are. It is considered that international organizations cannot be effective in conflict resolution when a conflict is in cold phase.

The primary purpose of this article is to explain the meaning and consequences of foreign fighters' participation from Western Balkan countries (WB6) in armed conflicts in Syria and Iraq. In the first part, the issue of foreign fighters is discussed in historical terms. The author focuses on the examples of the Soviet inva-sion of Afghanistan and the ethno-religious conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the second part of the text, the definition framework of foreign fighters' concept and its evolution towards foreign terrorist-fighters is dis-cussed. Then, a detailed analysis of the main problem is conducted, and several research questions are an-swered: 1) What is the scale of the phenomenon of Balkan volunteers (e.g., their number, the structure of origin, and others) in comparison to fighters from other regions? 2) What are their motivations and goals, and what are their recruitment process and ways of moving into the war zone? 3) What is the threat posed by returning fight-ers to the security of the Western Balkans, and how do individual states counteract this phenomenon? The au-thor uses mainly the following research methods: critical content analysis (literature, scientific articles, docu-ments, reports, press materials), and historical and comparative analysis. The author's visits to this country in 2018-2020 constituted an essential contribution to the part concerning the case of Kosovo.

The article discusses the experience of creation of peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Eastern Slavonia, Kosovo and East Timor with the use of comparative method. It also raises the role of international and regional actors in post-conflict peacebuilding. The author presents some practical solutions for the implementation of the effective peace process in eastern Ukraine, aimed at the reintegration of temporarily occupied territories.

This paper is an analysis of mediation, in which special focus was put on the creativity of individuals in the world of social meanings. The typology of mediation participants and the ways in which they build a situation is presented, including: (i) types of social relations in advisory situations as described by Alicja Kargulowa; (ii) Roger Fisher's, William Ury's and Bruce Patton's method of negotiations; and (iii) the work by Kenneth L. Thomas and Ralph H. Kilmann in which the relation between negotiators and the purpose of mediation, or the attitude of negotiators to its purpose and other participants of a conflict situation have been taken into account. This different approach to mediation allows the reader to see other aspects of the procedure. Contrary to the criminal trial, the vision of mediation presented here reveals that the settlement arrived at by the parties is not the only benefit of the procedure, as it does not only focus on facts but also on relationships and the interests of the parties.Looking at the process of mediation through the prism of the negotiating parties may be an inspiration and raise awareness. It also serves to ensure openness to the philosophy of restorative justice. ; W artykule podjęto analizę mediacji, eksponując indywidualną kreatywność jednostki w świecie znaczeń społecznych. Przedstawiono typologię uczestników mediacji i ich sposobów budowania sytuacji. Autorka pokazuje typy uczestników, uwzględniając: (1) sposoby nawiązywania rodzajów stosunków społecznych w sytuacjach poradniczych opisanych przez Alicję Kargulową; (2) metody negocjowania wyróżnione przez Rogera Fishera, Williama Ury'ego, Bruce'a Pattona oraz (3) opracowanie Kennetha L. Thomasa and Ralpha H. Kilmanna uwzględniające stosunek negocjatorów do celu i innych osób w sytuacji konfliktowej. Pokazanie odmiennego od prezentowanych dotychczas obrazu mediacji zwraca uwagę na inne niż prawne aspekty mediacji w sprawach karnych. Przedstawiona wizja mediacji pozwala dostrzec, że spisana przez strony ugoda nie jest jedyną korzyścią ze stosowania tej procedury, która w przeciwieństwie do procesu sądowego koncentruje się nie tylko na faktach, lecz także na relacjach i interesach działających i kształtujących przebieg interakcji stron. Być może spojrzenie na przebieg procesu mediacji przez pryzmat negocjujących stron konfliktu stanie się inspiracją czy będzie służyć uwrażliwieniu i otwarciu na filozofię sprawiedliwości naprawczej.

Today, there is no doubt that the large-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops in February 2022 represents just another phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War that has lasted for nine years. There are many aspects to this confrontation. The consequences of the war will affect the future of the world order. It will include such aspects as security, formation of new political blocs, force interaction of political regimes, the choice of state-building models by the countries, the art of war, the role of civil society, and strengthening of the informational component in the confrontation between states and their alliances. Russia-Iran has already emerged as one such aggressive alliance. In the article, the authors explain the phenomenon of the infodemic and one of its structural elements, the "vaccinodemic". The COVID-19 pandemic became a vivid example of the global clash of actors in international relations that implement conflicting ideologies – democratic or authoritarian rule in the social and political life of their states – and realize such aspects in foreign policy. The authors assert that the current situation in Ukraine, namely, the open military Russian invasion and the further aggravation of the security crisis, primarily in the European region, are only the next phase of an ideological confrontation that could be observed during the response to the COVID-19 pandemic by humanity. Now, this confrontation continues in a more aggressive, conventional format. Manifestations of the infodemic and its unique form, the "vaccinodemic", captured the essence of the global confrontation, which will determine international processes for decades. Namely, Russia's fight between democracy and authoritarianism has acquired neo-totalitarian characteristics. This fight will determine, in addition to other social phenomena, the structure and content of the global information space. It is noted that authoritarian regimes have shown some success in addressing the pandemic, which may aggravate the rivalry between democracy and authoritarianism, as the former will have to prove its effectiveness and long-term advantages.

The Author analyses the infl uence of confl ict in Nagorno Karabakh, Abkhazia and South Ossetia on the domestic and foreign policy of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. He proves that the described confl ict for many years dominated in the political life of this country and was a basis of the ideology and the programs of elites struggling for power. In the struggle of the elites, the military elites played the main role, while being an important path to advancement to the peaks of power. The author tries to explain the infl uence of the Karabakh, Abkhazia and South Ossetia question on political transformation of the states in confl ict. Another important thread of the analysis is to search answers to the question, how tradition, culture, psychology, life styles and political interests of elites in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia affect the course and the effects of a peacemaking process aimed solving the Karabakh, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: The basic aim of the article is to address a question about the consequences of the crisis in Ukraine to the security policy of the United States in Europe. In order to fulfill this goal, the article analysis key elements of United States' foreign policy towards NATO members and Russian Federation.THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: This paper employs concepts of grand strategy; deterrence and security dilemma in order to explain the current strategic choices of the United States in Europe. It is based in the newest secondary sources as well as on primary ones including official speeches and documents of the Obama administration.THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: The article is divided into three parts: first, explains terminology and necessary concepts applied in the paper; state of research and overview of subject literature. Second, summarizes United States foreign and security policies towards Europe and Russia till the break out of conflict in Ukraine in February 2014. The third, presents key strategic dilemmas US has faced since the beginning of the conflict.RESEARCH RESULTS: Conflict in Ukraine created the biggest diplomatic rift between US and Russia since the end of the Cold War and resulted in tightening of defense cooperation between NATO member states. The United States returned to the strategy of deterring Russia and reassuring its European allies.CONCLUSIONS, INNOVATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: There are at least three strategic dilemmas the United States faces in Europe: How to implement American interests in Europe with the heralded strategic rebalancing towards Asia-Pacific region; How to balance a need for more robust defense of NATO European members and a need to normalize relations with Russia; And how to keep NATO's relevance as an defense alliance in the times of financial austerity and threat diffusion. ; CEL NAUKOWY: Podstawowym celem artykułu jest odpowiedź na pytanie o najważniejsze następstwa, jakie przyniósł konflikt na Ukrainie dla polityki bezpieczeństwa Stanów Zjednoczonych w Europie. W tym celu analizie poddane zostały główne elementy polityki USA wobec europejskich sojuszników z NATO oraz Federacji Rosyjskiej. PROBLEM I METODY BADAWCZE: Artykuł ten wykorzystuje koncepcje "wielkiej strategii", "odstraszania" oraz "dylematu bezpieczeństwa". Posługuje się analizą krytyczną najnowszych monografii i artykułów naukowych z dziedziny studiów nad bezpieczeństwem międzynarodowym oraz źródeł pierwotnych, takich jak przemówienia prezydenta Baracka Obamy czy strategie bezpieczeństwa narodowego USA.PROCES WYWODU: Artykuł złożony jest z trzech części. W pierwszej omówione zostały podstawowe kwestie terminologiczne, stan badań oraz koncepcje kluczowe dla tego artykułu: wielka strategia, odstraszanie i dylemat bezpieczeństwa. Druga część analizuje w syntetyczny sposób politykę zagraniczną i bezpieczeństwa USA wobec Europy i Rosji do lutego 2014 r. Trzecia część przedstawia dylematy strategiczne Stanów Zjednoczonych po rosyjskiej aneksji Krymu i trwającej wojnie we wschodniej Ukrainie.WYNIKI ANALIZY NAUKOWEJ: Konflikt na Ukrainie spowodował naj­większe od zakończenia zimnej wojny zaostrzenie stosunków amerykańsko‑rosyjskich, a z drugiej strony przyczynił się do zacieśnienia współpracy obronnej w ramach NATO. Stany Zjednoczone wróciły do strategii, której centralnym elementem jest odstraszanie Federacji Rosyjskiej i podkreślanie gwarancji obron­nych wobec europejskich sojuszników.WNIOSKI, INNOWACJE, REKOMENDACJE: Strategia Stanów Zjedno­czonych w Europie stoi przed kilkoma dylematami: Jak połączyć amerykańskie interesy w Europie, przy jednoczesnym zwrocie Waszyngtonu w kierunku Azji i Pacyfiku? Jak zrównoważyć potrzebę obrony sojuszników europejskich NATO z jednej oraz naprawienie stosunków z Rosją z drugiej strony? Jak utrzymać prężny Sojusz Północnoatlantycki, stanowiący filar regionalnej architektury bez­pieczeństwa w Europie, spełniając jednocześnie funkcje obronne wobec swoich członków? Wydaje się, że odpowiedzi na te pytania staną się udziałem dopiero następnej amerykańskiej administracji prezydenckiej.

In his book author explains social and political phenomena that are connected with political change in local conditions in Poland in 1989. As yet there has been no empirical study that would consider first partly free election to the last parliament of People's Republic of Poland in local conditions. In 1989 there were 108 electoral constituencies in Poland to the Sejm elections, and free election to the Senate were conducted in 49 provinces of Poland. Chojnice was a capital city of election constituency no. 14 to the Sejm and a part of election to the Senate conducted in Bydgoszcz Province. As over the time social issues are perceived through stereotypes and tend to be mythologized, it seems important to author to show such events and phenomena on firm basis. It is worth emphasizing that results from 1989 elections in local conditions are generally unknown. Poles do not know results in their local constituencies because nearly thirty years after the elections official results from local constituencies still have not been not published anywhere. Thus, this study is based on primary sources, newspapers from that time, literature of this particular issue. The analysis and synthesis is based on a number of theoretical perspectives: behaviorism to describe interaction between political actors – electoral system – party systems; political process and political change; Joseph Schumpeter's assumption that political competition is of fundamental importance for the democracy; Samuel Huntington's theory of third wave of democratization. All the data is analyzed in quantitative perspective. There is no hypothesis as the study is a descriptive and explanatory one. Its main goal is to highlight earlier unknown phenomena. This study is about local politics in a one-party state during the time of political change, so author refers to the politics on state level from that time. The most important questions refer to: continuity of activity of new social movement members from the time of the carnival of Chojnice "Solidarity" in the years 1980-1981 and their involvement in 1989; political negotiations and emergence of political leaders during that time; political will of citizens to take part in political change and their will to change the political system; attitudes of political actors from PUWP and "Solidarity"; individual nature of facts from that time taken under consideration from the perspective of local reality; attitudes of local regime members towards political change; results of elections in Chojnice constituency on 4th and 18th June 1989; differentiation of political behavior in Chojnice constituency; picture of society of that time; influence of cultural and ethnical identity as well as people's ties (mainly with Catholic Church) and roots on their political choices. Political behavior is one of the main category of this study. Author highlights not only electoral system but also describes process of political leaders' emergence on local scale. In this perspective election campaign is portrayed as a political fight between candidates of Citizen Committee of "Solidarity" and candidates of Polish United Worker's Party (PUWP) and its political satellites. As a matter of fact, author stresses the importance of category of the legitimization and shows that members of PUWP (in Poland known as PZPR) were not totally delegitimized by citizens in 1989 election in Chojnice constituency. In fact, PUWP was mostly legitimized by Poles in the northern part of Bydgoszcz Province during that election. The study consists of the following parts: introduction, 8 chapters, summary, bibliography, index and appendix. The first chapter describes electoral system and law that was enforced in 1989. The second one analyzes political climate and political situation around elections to the Sejm and the Senate. The third chapter is also mostly analytical one. Author describes local communists apparatchiks' attitude towards political change. The fourth chapter shows the process of political leaders emergence from both sides of the political conflict. The fifth chapter describes personal features of candidates to the Sejm and the Senate. The sixth chapter shows election campaign. The seventh one shows election results. The eighth chapter describes political attitudes and behavior of citizens in Chojnice constituency. In the appendix readers may find results from constituency districts of Chojnice town, and Chojnice country. As a result of this study some unexpected conclusions emerged after empirical study, for example: one of the most prominent one is that citizens of People's Republic of Poland do not reject totally PUWP and its monopoly for power and authority; paradoxically candidates from "Solidarity" movement were not selected as democratically as candidates from PUWP ; deep differences in political attitudes in Chojnice constituency depended on the scale of people's religiousness and the tradition of political opposition in town, as well as on ethnic groups; the highest support for political change was among Kashubians, whereas the lowest in the groups called Krajniacy and Borowiacy. ; Monografia powstała ona w wyniku analizy procesu wyborczego tzw. przełomu politycznego związanego z wyborami czerwcowymi 1989 r. Jest to studium zdarzeń i zjawisk z tamtego okresu, z okręgu wyborczego nr 14 Chojnice, który to okręg do Sejmu PRL obejmował w wyborach kontaktowych całą północną część województwa bydgoskiego i był jednym ze 108 takich okręgów w Polsce. W książce przedstawiono zarówno genezę decyzji politycznych stojących za wyborem przedterminowych wyborów w 1989 r. przez reżim komunistyczny, jak i między innymi proces wyłaniania liderów na listy wyborcze. Zaprezentowano postawy polityczne, kontekst społeczno-polityczny, stanowisko lokalnych struktur Polskiej Zjednoczonej Partii Robotniczej i jej działaczy wobec perspektywy głębokich przemian politycznych, które zapowiadały wybory czerwcowe, jak i też zaprezentowano reakcje powyborcze chojnickich komunistów. Dokonano także analizy porównawczej, według podstawowej jednostki jaką była gmina, ukazując zróżnicowanie postaw również w odniesieniu do przynależności etnograficznej wyborców w okręgu wyborczym nr 14. Analizie poddano także wybory do Senatu, koncentrując się na przebiegu kampanii, kandydatach oraz wynikach z terenu północnej części województwa bydgoskiego. Całość studium jest wynikiem analizy materiałów źródłowych - tj. dokumentów Państwowej Komisji Wyborczej, Rady Państwa oraz Komitetu Miejskiego PZPR w Chojnicach i Komitetu Gminnego PZPR w Chojnicach oraz relacji i wspomnień.

W niniejszym artykule autor analizuje procesy kształtowania się politycznych systemów w państwach Kaukazu Południowego. Wskazuje przy tym na patologiczne zjawiska funkcjonujące w elitach władzy oraz w systemach politycznych tych państw. Analizie poddane zostały także konflikty w Górskim Karabachu, Abchazji i Osetii Południowej, które nadal dominują w życiu politycznym Armenii, Azerbejdżanu i Gruzji. Są podstawą ideologii i programów politycznych elit walczących o władzę, a także znacząco wpływają na styl przywództwa. W politycznej walce znaczącą rolę odgrywały elity wojskowe, które szybko awansowały na szczyt władzy. Autor próbuje wyjaśnić, jak konflikty w Górskim Karabachu, Abchazji i Osetii Południowej wpływają na proces transformacji ustrojowej państw regionu. Kolejnym aspektem analizy jest odpowiedź na pytanie, jak tradycja, kultura, psychologia, styl życia i interesy politycznych elit Armenii, Azerbejdżanu i Gruzji wpływają na rezultaty pokojowego uregulowania konfliktów. ; The Author analyses proces of the formation of political regimes in Southern Caucasus. He points to the pathological phenomena in the functioning of power elites and political regimes of those states. The Author analyses the influence of conflict in Nagorno Karabakh, Abkhazia and South Ossetia on the domestic and foreign policy of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. He proves that the described conflict for many years dominated in the political life of this country and was a basis of the ideology and the programs of elites struggling for power. In the struggle of the elites, the military elites played the main role, while being an important path to advancement to the peaks of power. The author tries to explain the influence of the Karabakh, Abkhazia and South Ossetia question on political transformation of the states in conflict. Another important thread of the analysis is to search answers to the question, how tradition, culture, psychology, life styles and political interests of elites in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia affect the course and the effects of a peacemaking process aimed solving the Karabakh, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

The author describes several social and peace-making initiatives which were undertaken in the last decades by the Catholic organizations active within the diocese of Mendi in Papua New Guinea. The country gained independence in 1975, but remained culturally diversified. The basic identity for most of the citizens is still related to the tribal level. Political conflicts, corruption, abuse of alcohol and narcotics resulted in the past decades in several outbursts of violence among tribes of the Southern Highlands Province. Since the central government was unable to answer this challenge, the Catholic organizations of the Mendi diocese became very much involved in the peace-making process and other social initiatives. Activities of two Catholic organizations are described in more detail, namely the Diocesan Development Secretariat and the Justice and Peace Group, which have succeeded in mediations among several tribes. ; The author describes several social and peace-making initiatives which were undertaken in the last decades by the Catholic organizations active within the diocese of Mendi in Papua New Guinea. The country gained independence in 1975, but remained culturally diversified. The basic identity for most of the citizens is still related to the tribal level. Political conflicts, corruption, abuse of alcohol and narcotics resulted in the past decades in several outbursts of violence among tribes of the Southern Highlands Province. Since the central government was unable to answer this challenge, the Catholic organizations of the Mendi diocese became very much involved in the peace-making process and other social initiatives. Activities of two Catholic organizations are described in more detail, namely the Diocesan Development Secretariat and the Justice and Peace Group, which have succeeded in mediations among several tribes.

Proces zmian w państwach arabskich, którego początek wyznaczyły protesty w Tunezji na przełomie 2010 i 2011 r., stanowił zaskoczenie nie tylko dla szeroko definiowanej społeczności międzynarodowej, ale także dla najważniejszych graczy w regionach Bliskiego Wschodu oraz Afryki Północnej. Bez wątpienia do tej grupy zaliczyć należy Turcję. Celem niniejszego artykułu jest analiza wpływu procesu zmian w państwach arabskich po 2010 r. na politykę zagraniczną Turcji. Szczegółowej analizie zostały poddane przede wszystkim podstawowe założenia polityki zagranicznej Turcji przed 2010 r. oraz ich późniejsza, ewentualna modyfikacja w obliczu zmian politycznych w świecie arabskim. Na podstawie analizy, autor za nieaktualne uznał dwa z regionalnych celów polityki zagranicznej Turcji: eliminację problemów z państwami w regionie oraz niemożność pełnienia funkcji państwa mediatora w regionie. Konflikt wewnętrzny w Syrii stał się bez wątpienia jednym z przykładów niepowodzenia polityki zagranicznej Turcji. Istotną wadą tureckiej polityki zagranicznej po 2002 r. stanowiło oparcie stosunków na bliskich, osobistych relacjach tureckich polityków z niektórymi autorytarnymi przywódcami państw arabskich. Paradoksalnie, wsparcie procesu przemian w Egipcie, może zagrozić regionalnym aspiracjom Turcji. Pytanie dotyczące atrakcyjności tak zwanego modelu tureckiego dla państw arabskich pozostaje pytaniem otwartym. Chociaż można wskazać przykłady nawiązywania do politycznych doświadczeń Turcji w takich państwach jak Tunezja, Maroko czy Egipt, jest to jeszcze zbyt mało, by można mówić o politycznej miękkiej sile Turcji w regionie. ; The process of political changes in the Arab states, which began in Tunisia in 2010, came as a complete surprise not only to international community, but also to all key players in the Middle East and in North Africa. Undoubtedly, Turkey was one of them. The main aim of this article is to analyze influence of the process on the foreign policy of Turkey after 2010. In order to do that, the author analyzes fundamental objectives of the Turkish foreign policy before and after 2010. He argues that two of them, namely zero problems with neighbors policy as well as a role of a mediator in the Middle East, are not valid anymore. Moreover, the internal conflict in Syria became a symbol of a failure of zero problems with neighbors policy. One of the weaknesses of the Turkish foreign policy was its dependence on personal relations between Turkish politicians and authoritarian leaders in the Arab states. Paradoxically, although Turkey supports changes in Egypt, this state can become its biggest regional rival in the nearest future. Last but not least, the author tries to find out whether so-called Turkish political model is attractive to the Arab states. He claims that although we can find some examples how Arab politicians follow the Turkish example in Tunisia, Morocco or Egypt, it is still not enough to assert that these states have already adopted the Turkish model.

One of the indicators of the condition of the democratic state is its attitude towards national minorities. Not only the institutional dimension of these relations is important, but also the functioning of the public sphere. Public sphere provides space to negotiate and deliberate over issues that are important to the community. Media, which are an essential part of public sphere act as a facilitator and influence social attitudes towards discussed issues. Following paper presents results of an original research on framing German minority in regional press in Poland. Context of the research is the political conflict over the the enlargement of Opole City. The majority of Germans - the most numerous national minority in Poland - live in the Opole region. The enlargement of the city of Opole changes administrative structure in the region by incorporating to the city parts of the neighboring communities often governed by German minority. The incorporation process induced strong protests of the residents of these communities and fears of the German minority itself that these changes would adversely affect its position. The study covers press articles that appeared in regional dailies published in the Opole region. Quantitative and qualitative analysis tools were used, includuing framing analysis. ; Jednym z wskaźników kondycji państwa demokratycznego jest jego stosunek do mniejszości narodowych. Istotny jest wymiar formalny tych relacji, a także funkcjonowanie sfery publicznej. Kluczowa będzie zatem zdolność do efektywnego negocjowania i deliberacji nad kwestiami ważnymi społecznie i budzącymi duże emocje. Naturalną przestrzeń dla takiej debaty stwarzają media. Będąc również uczestnikiem debaty, media pozycjonują strony i wpływają na postawy społeczne wobec dyskutowanych kwestii. Celem badań, których wyniki są prezentowane w niniejszym artykule była analiza medialnego pozycjonowania mniejszości niemieckiej (MN) w ramach sporu o przesunięcie granic Opola. Na Opolszczyźnie zamieszkuje większość polskich Niemców – najliczniejszej mniejszości narodowej w Polsce. Powiększenie miasta Opola o część terenów należących do sąsiednich gmin, w których znaczącą część społeczności stanowiła MN, wzbudziło silne protesty mieszkańców tych gmin i obawy samej MN, że zmiany te niekorzystnie wpłyną na jej pozycję. W badaniach uwzględniono artykuły prasowe, które ukazały się w regionalnych dziennikach wydawanych na Opolszczyźnie. Stosowano narzędzia analizy ilościowej i jakościowej, wykorzystując m.in. metodę ram interpretacyjnych (framing).

The aim of the study is a comparison of re-privatization policy pursued in Poland and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe, with particular emphasis on the former GDR. Poland has chosen a completely different approach to this issue from that of the Germans. Despite the claims of former owners concerned, in almost 2/3 of the former GDR territory, the German legislature quickly and decisively resolved these issues, so that they do not impinge on the current social and economic life of Germany. Poland however, after two decades of transformation, has still not developed a clear position on this issue, while successive legislation projects end in failure or are postponed indefinitely. This practice leads to doubt as to whether our country can be regarded as fully integrated with the West in terms of compliance with standards of the modern state, which resolves sensitive issues and seeks to eliminate hot spots in contacts with foreign countries (e.g. the return of former Jewish property). Reprivatization is important for several reasons, of both legal and economic nature. Lack of a solution raises a sense of injustice among former owners, generates numerous conflicts on the citizen-state line, and calls into question the constitutionally guaranteed protection of property rights in Poland. On the other hand, a thankless objective of an economist is to assess the economic aspects of a possible compensation program – could Poland afford it? What would be the costs of abandonment of any action? In the first part of the study the regulations on property restitution in the former Eastern bloc countries are shortly discussed. Then attention is paid to the legal and economic conditions of the property restitution process in Poland. The article ends with conclusions. ; Cel opracowania stanowi porównanie polityki reprywatyzacyjnej prowadzonej w Polsce i w innych krajach Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem byłej NRD. W Polsce zaobserwować można zupełnie odmienne podejście do tej problematyki niż u naszych zachodnich sąsiadów. Pomimo, że roszczenia dawnych właścicieli dotyczyły niemal 2/3 terytorium byłej NRD, niemiecki ustawodawca szybko i zdecydowanie rozwiązał te kwestie, dzięki czemu nie rzutują one na obecne życie społeczne i gospodarcze RFN. Polska natomiast po dwóch dekadach transformacji wciąż nie wypracowała jasnego stanowiska w tej sprawie, zaś kolejne rządy podejmują bezskuteczne próby regulacji lub odsuwają problem w bliżej nieokreśloną przyszłość. Taka praktyka każe wątpić, czy można uznać nasz kraj za w pełni zintegrowany z Zachodem, w sensie spełniania standardów nowoczesnego państwa, które rozwiązuje drażliwe sprawy i stara się likwidować punkty zapalne w kontaktach z zagranicą (np. zwrot mienia pożydowskiego). Reprywatyzacja jest istotna z kilku przynajmniej powodów o naturze zarówno prawnej, jak i ekonomicznej. Brak rozwiązania dawnych krzywd rodzi poczucie niesprawiedliwości, generuje liczne konflikty na linii obywatel-państwo i rodzi wątpliwości w gwarantowaną konstytucyjnie ochronę praw własności w naszym kraju. Z drugiej strony należy pytać o aspekty ekonomiczne ewentualnego programu odszkodowawczego – czy Polskę po prostu na to stać? Jakie są koszty zaniechania jakichkolwiek działań? W pierwszej części opracowania omówione zostaną uwarunkowania prawne i ekonomiczne procesu reprywatyzacji w Polsce. Następnie przybliżone zostaną regulacje dotyczące zwrotu majątku w wybranych krajach byłego bloku wschodniego. Artykuł kończą wnioski.