In English

One hundred sixty years ago, in September 1863, during the January Uprising, the Russians demolished the Zamoyski Palace in Warsaw, throwing the piano once played by Fryderyk Chopin out of the building’s window. The moment made history.

For more than 250 years, Central Europe has been struggling with the same problem. 160 years ago, an uprising sparked off in which Poles, Ukrainians, Lithuanians and Belarusians stood together against the despotism of the Russian tsar and Russian imperialism. Today those nations are uniting to support Ukraine.

The common view that Ultra shaved two years off the war is hard to sustain, but it did save the allies months in time and hundreds of thousands of lives. Britons and Poles can take pride in that achievement. Neither needs to exaggerate it

Forty-one years ago, the Communist junta brought tanks onto the streets of Poland. Today we are restoring dignity to the victims and sending a clear message to the criminals: you cannot sleep peacefully.

I experience this dually. Having a Polish mother and being half-Polish myself, I am more sensitive to the consequences not only of the communist putsch in Czechoslovakia in 1948, the terror of the 1950s, August 1968 or normalisation but also of Poland’s fate throughout history – partitioned by the great powers several times, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, Katyn, the Warsaw Uprising, martial law in the 1980s… My Polish genes manifest themselves in stubbornness and determination. In situations like the one we experience now, I am always reminded of the Polish nation’s ability to stand up to adversity and not give in to violence.

For the past nine months, in the center of Europe, just over Poland’s eastern border, Ukraine has been fighting for sovereignty and freedom. We must understand, though, that Ukraine is not only fighting for survival, integrity or the right to live with dignity for its citizens.

We need to return to the philosophical and theological tradition of the Church

Poland is a trusted and willing ally of the United States for many critical reasons.  Indeed, Poland has become America’s most vital partner on a number of key security fronts in Europe, whether they be military, economic, or energy. 

The largest number of migrants from Africa and Asia fleeing to Europe are leaving from Libya. Eric REIDY and Mateusz M. KRAWCZYK discuss the migration policies of the European Union and Libya, showing how the authorities are working together to suppress migration.

Poland celebrates its Independence Day on 11 November. On 10 November 1918, Józef Piłsudski, the man who contributed most to Poland’s liberation, arrived in Warsaw. The following day saw the end of the First World War. And yet for Poland this was just the beginning of its struggle.  

The countries of the Three Seas Initiative have made different use of their regained freedom. However, if they did not have to grapple with the consequences of aggressive Russian imperialism and were better understood in the West, they could contribute a lot to the global freedom potential. 

The war has forced several millions of Ukrainians to leave their country. The Poles have welcomed these war refugees to their homes with open arms. By an unprecedented decision of the Polish authorities, the Ukrainians were granted the same rights as the Poles, the only exception being the right to vote. 

“[…] there are no more occupiers. We’re our own masters and hosts,” rejoiced Warsaw politician and columnist Ignacy Baliński in November 1918. But Poland’s newly regained freedom still had to be defended against Russia – just as Ukraine does today.

It is no coincidence that we inaugurated the Empty Frames campaign in Polish museums right before the anniversary of the Soviet Union’s attack on Poland on 17 September 1939.

The effects of World War II – demographic, economic, infrastructural, scientific, educational and cultural – are felt by Poles until today.

For the past 30 years, the Polish economy has been developing at a high pace, reaching an annual average of 4-5%. The COVID-19 pandemic halted this rapid growth, however only in 2020, after which Poland returned to its previous fast track of development. 

The inevitable split of the Visegrad Group does not discredit Central Europe. A rejection of the often disingenuous and pro-Russian ‘conservatism’ of Orban’s party is, in fact, a necessary precondition for the rest of the region to assert itself as a serious, constructive player.

It was only with the COVID-19 pandemic that many of us became aware of this. It came as a shock to us that borders and free movement across borders in Europe could be restricted. Norwegians could no longer buy alcohol in Sweden or visit their relatives with such ease – writes prof. Thomas Hylland Eriksen.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been full of painful resonances.  From the forced deportations of countless women and children to the executions of those that would resist

When we say that a State may be obligated in certain circumstances, to make reparations to other States? – ask Sebastian Morello.