Between NATO and UN : EU strategic culture and its approach to civil-military cooperation

The European Union's approach to civil-military cooperation (CIMIC) in crisis response incorporates two different perspectives. The EU’s official concept is shaped after NATO's military-centred vision and is subordinated to the achievement of military goals. However, the application of CIMIC in EU-led crisis response resembles the UN civilian-centred approach, aiming at supporting civilian environment and protection of humanitarian space. This article discusses this complex nature of the EU's approach to CIMIC in the context of the Union’s strategic culture

NATO and EU approach towards civil-military relations in military operations

Stosunki między cywilami i żołnierzami są nieuniknioną konsekwencją istnienia wojny, jednak dopiero niedawno zaczęły być regulowane przez jedne z największych organizacji międzynarodowych zajmujących się utrzymaniem pokoju. Pierwszym celem niniejszego artykułu jest przedstawienie i porównanie najważniejszych regulacji NATO i UE, dotyczących relacji cywilno-wojskowych. Autorka prezentuje ewolucję koncepcji współpracy cywilno-wojskowej NATO i UE, wypracowane przez nie definicje oraz organy odpowiedzialne za implementację koncepcji, umieszczone w kontekście ogólnych strategii obu organizacji. Takie zestawienie najważniejszych regulacji pozwoli osiągnąć drugi cel artykułu, jakim jest zidentyfikowanie największych wyzwań związanych ze współpracą cywilno-wojskową, wspólnych dla NATO i UE oraz typowych dla poszczególnych organizacji

The dynamics of the contemporary military role : in search of flexibility

The article offers an overview and reflection on the dynamics of the military role taking into account different security contexts and significant others. It analyses two dominant types of military roles: warrior embedded in the realistic perspective on security and peacekeeper grounded in the liberal approach. Finally, it examines the dynamics of the modern military role in the light of the internal-external security nexus. The article shows that the contemporary military role needs not only to combine warrior and peacekeeper roles but also develop some new elements in order to meet the requirements of the contemporary security context. The article begins by setting a theoretical framework that allows for an analysis of drivers of change of the military role. It then moves towards an examination of the contextual drivers of change which influence the two traditional conceptualisations of military role: a "warrior" and a "peacekeeper". Next, the article turns towards the topic of internal-external security nexus as characteristic to the contemporary security context. Finally, it considers the contextual drivers of change within two areas of military involvement: domestic counter-terrorism operations and cyber security. The article ends with three main conclusions. Firstly, the contemporary military role requires more adaptability with regard to referent objects. Secondly, the contemporary military role requires more flexibility with regard to countering threats and the application of violence. Thirdly, the flexibility of the contemporary military role is necessitated by close collaboration with other actors who participate in provision of security

Polish territorial defence forces and innovation during the COVID-19 pandemic : the assessment of the potential of a mixed type force in non-military crisis response

Innovation can be understood in multiple ways. It can be seen as big breakthroughs and the introduction of entirely new inventions or as small, incremental changes introduced to existing products, processes, or solutions. Innovation can also be considered as a capability or a characteristic of individuals and organisations. It is viewed as one of the desired (if not crucial) aspects of functioning in a complex environment. This also refers to the armed forces and their activities during war and in response to crises. One of the biggest changes in the Polish Armed Forces in the second decade of the 21st century was the establishment of the Territorial Defence Forces (TDF), a mixed service comprising volunteer and full-time soldiers. This article aims to assess the innovative potential as well as the potential for innovation of such a mixed type of force in non-military crisis response by reviewing the key characteristics and actions carried out by the TDF

Towards the "frontline states" concept : understanding the responses to Russia's war against Ukraine

The Russian aggression against Ukraine has had significant consequences, including for NATO’s Eastern Flank’s regional security architecture. Following decades of peace in the region, NATO members neighbouring Russia and Ukraine, such as Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and the Baltic states, have found themselves on the border of an active war zone. The focus in this paper rests on the "frontline states" concept and its explanatory power. The states selected here (Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Poland and Romania) for a brief analysis do not constitute a coherent group within “frontline states” category, but rather are selected on a basis of their diversity: Estonia and Latvia (former Soviet republics) are small countries with a high proportion of ethnic Russians and native Russian-speakers; Poland is a regional power in terms of military strength and (relatively) international standing; Romania, bordering both Ukraine and Russia-wary Moldova, has the largest population and territory on the western coast of the Black Sea; while Hungary with its anti-EU and often pro-Russian stance seems to be an outlier among this group of "frontline states". The reactions of these states to Russian aggression have been influenced by the existing regional architecture, as well as their respective "troubled" histories of relations with Russia. Hence, the aim of this policy brief is to discuss to what extent the concept of "frontline states" can be applied to understand the reactions and responses of these countries to Russia’s invasion on Ukraine on 24 February 2022

Gender wage gap : occupation and industries analysis for Poland

Remuneration is a measure of the purchasing power of the population that shows how wealthy the given society is. Analysis of remuneration received by different groups provides information about inequalities between and within the analyzed groups. One of the groups whose pay is lower than the average are women. In this article the attempt to indicate reasons for such inequality is undertaken. In the research presented in the article the main objective is to verify the significance of occupations and industries in shaping the gender wage gap in contemporary Poland. The research was based on data from the Polish Earning Survey, which was conducted by Sedlak & Sedlak for a single year, 2018. The results obtained show that the gender wage gap in Poland is explained in 36% by occupations and 15% by industry in which women are employed, which proves the significance of location factors in shaping gender wage gap

Local spoilers and pathways to reconciliation : the Polish perspective on the Polish-Ukrainian relations in the Borderlands

In the last three decades Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation has taken a structured and regular form of an international dialogue dominated and controlled by central governments, which simultaneously diminished the importance of the local perspective. Yet, it is the regional level where the Polish-Ukrainian tensions have originally escalated at, and the local borderlands' communities have always played a crucial role in the inter-ethnic relations. That is why this article tackled the topic of Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation as framed by the Polish borderlands’ elites, framing it with three dimensions of reconciliation: encounters, relationship, and innovation. It critically addressed the intractable tensions between Poles and Ukrainians in the borderlands, exploring the contemporary dynamics of distrust, narrowness and historical resentments which are continuously present in the local Polish narrative and stand in the way of reconciliation. The role of the European integration was viewed as an important context and a double-edged sword in the Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation. The article contended that it is crucial to look at Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation beyond the state-level and consider that without the involvement of the borderlands and their perspective, the process is still on a rocky road. The findings were based on primary and secondary sources, including semi-structured interviews conducted in the Polish-Ukrainian borderlands

Padaczka w chorobach mitochondrialnych

Choroby mitochondrialne (MD, mitochondrial diseases) to jedne z najczęstszych chorób genetycznych. Pierwsze objawy MD mogą się pojawić zarówno w wieku wczesnodziecięcym, jak i podeszłym. Dotyczą one przede wszystkim tkanek i układów o wysokim zapotrzebowaniu energetycznym — mięśni szkieletowych i układu nerwowego. Do najczęstszych objawów neurologicznych należy między innymi padaczka, która może być jedynym objawem choroby mitochondrialnej lub jednym z wielu objawów. Częstość występowania padaczki mitochondrialnej zależy od rodzaju stwierdzanej mutacji i jest wyższa u dzieci i młodzieży niż u dorosłych. Podejmując się leczenia padaczki u chorego z MD, należy unikać stosowania leków o wysokim potencjale toksyczności dla mitochondriów, w szczególności preparatów kwasu walproinowego

Security theory and practice: Education in the Armed Forces in Poland and in the World in the 21st Century: Selected Issues

Z wprowadzenia: "Gwałtowny postęp, który w XXI wieku objął tak wiele dziedzin życia, nie ominął także sfery wojskowej. Siły zbrojne przechodzą bardzo szybkie przemiany pod wpływem nowych osiągnięć naukowo-technicznych i poszukiwania najbardziej efektywnych sposobów ich wykorzystania nie tylko w czasie wojny, ale także pokoju i kryzysu. To wszystko stanowi duże wyzwanie dla twórców systemów kształcenia wojskowego, które należy zorganizować tak, by zapewniały siłom zbrojnym kadrę przygotowaną do sprostania współczesnym wymaganiom. Nie chodzi jedynie o naukę wykorzystania nowych rozwiązań, ale także o tak oczywiste kwestie, jak budowa zdolności przywódczych czy odporności na propagandę i dezinformację, aby nie powodowała ona olbrzymich konsekwencji dla morale kadry dowódczej i szeregowych żołnierzy. Biorąc to pod uwagę redaktorzy tomu, którzy zgodnie z dewizą periodyku starają się łączyć teorię i praktykę bezpieczeństwa, uznali, że warto jest przybliżyć różne aspekty kształcenia w siłach zbrojnych w Polsce i na świecie w XXI wieku."(...