Review of Nationalities

The question of ‘country of birth’ in the light of the results of the national censuses in Poland (2002-2011-2021)

Sławomir Łodziński — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0200

The aim of this article is to compare data on ‘country of birth’ from the last three general censuses conducted in Poland in 2002, 2011 and 2021. I draw attention to the ongoing change in the origin and nature of the community of people declaring a country of birth other than Poland. This change consists in a gradual decrease in such declarations from the oldest generation of people who found themselves in Poland after the end of World War II and the change of the country’s borders as part of the repatriation policy pursued at the time, and a gradual increase in the number of young people who were born in Western European countries, which were the main destinations of post-accession migration after 2004. In this way, an analysis of the responses to the census question about ‘country of birth’ over the last two decades can provide an interesting insight into the current migration and demographic changes in Poland. They testify to a change in the migration status of our country, which has evolved from a country closed to immigration with a deep post-war migration history to a country that experiences both emigration and, currently, immigration.

The evolution of the concept of nation in Russia in the light of the State Nationalities Policy Strategy of the Russian Federation for the years 2026-2036

Tomasz Kucharski — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0200

The article analyzes the evolution of the concept of nation in the historical and contemporary Russian political context, paying particular attention to the transition from ethnic Russianness to civic Russian identity. Beginning with the establishment of a new definition of nation during the Great French Revolution, through the nationalisms of the 19th and 20th centuries, to the failed attempt to create a Soviet nation, the text highlights the distinctive relationship between state unity and multi-ethnicity that characterizes a large country such as contemporary Russia. Special emphasis is placed on the new state’s State Nationalities Policy Strategy of the Russian Federation for the years 2026-2036, which represents a clear shift toward strengthening a uniform, all-Russian “state-wide civic identity”.

The Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church in Post-Soviet Georgia: Challenges of Religious Diversity

Giorgi Pareshishvili, Giorgi Mkheidze — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0200

This article examines the multifaceted relationships between the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church and both the Georgian Orthodox Church and the Georgian state following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Based on legal analysis, political documents, assessments of existing realities, and in-depth interviews, the article analyzes how the state-building process in post-Soviet Georgia has affected religious minorities, particularly the Armenian diaspora. The research findings demonstrate that despite legislative steps toward expanding religious legitimation, significant challenges persist in practice regarding property issues, institutional equality, and interreligious relations. Special attention is devoted to the dynamics of relations between the Armenian Apostolic Church and state institutions, including property disputes and legal status issues. The research analysis reveals that the constitutionally defined special role of the Georgian Orthodox Church significantly determines the institutional dynamics of the religious sphere and creates certain challenges for religious minorities. Simultaneously, the study notes that Georgia’s European integration process creates an additional institutional and legal context that may become the foundation for policy revision and gradual resolution of existing problems. The role of interreligious dialogue is also highlighted, with future work in this direction identified as a primary mechanism for problem-solving and cooperation. Within the framework of this research, in-depth interviews were conducted with Bishop Kirakos Davtian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church of Georgia, and Professor Sergo Vardosanidze, Doctor of Historical Sciences and Doctor of Theology, which helped the research achieve a more comprehensive analysis of both institutional and historical issues.

Public administration in diplomatic representations: a policy-oriented comparative analysis of Armenia and Poland

Tigran Ohanyan, Katerina Altunyan — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0200

Diplomatic representations should function only as instruments of foreign policy but also as administrative extensions of the state operating beyond national borders. This article offers a policy-oriented comparative analysis of public administration in the diplomatic representations of Armenia and Poland. Using the governance and administrative reform perspective, it examines legal frameworks, institutional arrangements, administrative capacity, service delivery, and reform trajectories. The analysis highlights how historical legacies, European integration, and administrative reforms influence diplomatic governance. The article concludes with concrete policy recommendations aimed at strengthening administrative effectiveness, professionalism, and coordination in diplomatic services, particularly relevant for reform-oriented and transition states.

Strategic Faith: A Neoclassical Realist Interpretation of Jihadist Power Politics in Northern Mali

Mateusz Jedliński — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0200

This article reinterprets Mali’s jihadist insurgency through the analytical framework of neoclassical realism, challenging portrayals of Islamist groups as mainly ideological actors. It argues that movements such as AQIM, Ansar Dine, MUJAO, and JNIM behave as rational, power-seeking agents that translate systemic pressures—regional anarchy, state collapse, and foreign intervention—into adaptive policies. Drawing on field studies and secondary analyses, the study traces four phases of jihadist adaptation: initial coalition building during the 2012 rebellion; strategic retrenchment after the French intervention; social embedding and governance between 2013 and 2020; and post-2020 recalibration under the shifting balance of power following the arrival of Russian-backed forces. Religious ideology emerges not as an irrational driver but as a mediating variable that converts belief into political legitimacy, enabling authority where material capacity is scarce. By integrating realist theory with the sociology of Islam in Mali, the paper develops the concept of religious realism—a hybrid logic in which faith provides moral coherence while realism furnishes political functionality. This synthesis helps explain the paradoxical endurance of Jihadist governance and its ability to survive systemic shocks through symbolic, rather than material, power.

Muslim mayors in British local governments on social integration

Omar Lekhchine — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0200

This article analyzes the role of Muslim mayors in local government structures in the United Kingdom, taking into account the comparative context of New York as an example of a multi-ethnic metropolis. It outlines the theoretical foundations of political representation by Hannah Pitkin and the public sphere by Jürgen Habermas, enabling a distinction to be made between formal, descriptive, symbolic and substantive representation. The aim of the study is to assess whether the growing presence of Muslim minority representatives in local government institutions can be interpreted as a sign of deepening social integration or as a form of consolidation of immigrant groups. The research methods used include a comparative analysis of selected cases from the United Kingdom and New York, analysis of official documents and media content.

Evolution of Iran’s political system during the presidency of Hassan Rouhani

Marcin Dudek — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0200

The aim of this article is to analyze the constitutional position of the President of Iran in the context of the dominant role of the Supreme Leader and to assess the functioning of Hassan Rouhani’s presidency (2013-2021) within a political system characterized by a strongly hierarchical power structure. The first part discusses the constitutional and institutional constraints on the President, resulting from the concentration of key prerogatives in the hands of the Supreme Leader who exercises control, in particular, over the armed forces, the security services, and the judiciary. Within this model, the President performs a role of limited systemic significance, which in turn determines the restricted scope of his influence on the reform process. The second part of the article analyzes the presidency of Hassan Rouhani, focusing on his reformist declarations and the actual possibilities for their implementation. Despite ambitious promises regarding political liberalization, the improvement of women’s status, the strengthening of minority rights, and economic modernization, the achievements of his administration were moderate. The article points, inter alia, to a partial increase in women’s labour force participation, the introduction of minority language education programmes, and the adoption of legislation on the rights of persons with disabilities. The analysis demonstrates that over time Rouhani increasingly aligned his decisions with the expectations of the Supreme Leader, a process driven both by institutional realities and by political calculation.

President of all Poles. The difference between the office and the person elected to the role of President of Poland

Mateusz Bajon — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0200

In this article, the author analyzes the concept of President of all Poles. He points to the need to distinguish between the constitutional office of the President of the Republic of Poland and the person holding this office. In his work, he refers to the realities of post-truth, while emphasizing the importance of the constitutional and legal foundations of public authority and discussing the formal legal legitimacy of the President resulting from the Polish Constitution and electoral procedures. The analysis of data from presidential elections since 1989 shows the strength of the presidential mandate, but at the same time points to the persistent polarization of the electorate and the fact that support for the winning candidate refers to the majority of voters, not the total number of eligible citizens. The author also addresses the issue of social and political legitimacy, which depends both on the built President’s relationship with citizens and on choosing the system of cooperation or conflict with the government, especially in conditions of the so-called difficult cohabitation. In this context, the term President of all Poles can be a tool of political struggle. The author also points to its symbolic dimension as a normative ideal of a president acting as an integrator of the political community above divisions.

Realities of the Vilnius Philomaths’ life in exile into Russia from 1824 to 1831

Andrzej Sawicki — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0200

Two years after the end of the Napoleonic Wars, the Philomath Society was founded at the Imperial University of Vilnius, which had existed since 1803. In 1823, the Philomaths became the target of an investigation conducted in Vilnius by Russian senator Nikolay Novosiltsev. This investigation resulted in a verdict issued a year later, which sentenced individual members of the Society to exile to remote Russian provinces. This work aims to analyze this phase of the lives of the Vilnius Philomaths from 1824 to 1831. To achieve this goal, the author utilizes their extensive correspondence, as well as Tomasz Zan’s diary, From Exile. The first part of the work discusses the hardships of exile in European Russia (i.e., Moscow, St. Petersburg, and temporarily also Odessa) of Philomaths such as Franciszek Malewski, Onufry Pietraszkiewicz, Cyprian Daszkiewicz, Adam Mickiewicz, and Józef Jeżowski. The second chapter analyzes the sojourn on the border between Europe and Asia of Tomasz Zan, Jan Czeczot, and Adam Suzin, who among the Philomath Society members received the harshest punishments. The author also includes these individuals among the Siberian exiles. The dissertation concludes with a summary of the realities of the Philomaths’ exile in the depths of Russia.

Armenian Secret Army for Liberalization of Armenia. Terrorism, Crime or Political Actions?

Tigran Ohanyan, Hovhannes Harutyunyan, Davit Avetisyan, Gita Elibekyan — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0200

In order to analyze the character of Armenian Secret Army for Liberalization of Armenia and understand if actions implemented by them can be defined as terroristic attacks, political actions or just crimes, it is necessary to point out the aim of ASALA, its motivation and reasons given by them for actions that took place from 1975 to 1990. ASALA was active until 1990, and this organization does not operate nowadays. The main aim of this article is to analyze its motivation and the reasons of its creation and explanations given for their actions and to define terroristic character of the organization.

Orthodox iconostasis of the town of Szczebrzeszyn. Physiognomy of being in an intercultural historical community

Daniel Łukasz Kita — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0200

The article examines the dynamics of the Orthodox community in the historic and multicultural town of Szczebrzeszyn, located in the southwestern part of the Lublin Province. The Orthodox religion is presented as an important element uniting local identity in both historical and contemporary terms. Particular attention is paid to the importance of the Church in defining the cultural identity of the town and its influence on relations between different religious groups. In addition, a general outline of the historical strengthening of the position of Orthodox Christians is presented, starting from the 15th century, through the period of the partitions, to the socio-political transformations of the 20th and 21st centuries. The study was based on a review of literature, documentation, and an analysis of the opinions of Szczebrzeszyn residents. The conclusions point to the important role of Orthodoxy in preserving local tradition and adapting to changing social conditions. In addition, the text emphasizes the importance of the Orthodox religion as a foundation for shaping the multidimensional identity of the town’s residents in the context of social challenges. The article also highlights the complex influence of the Church on the socio-cultural and spiritual levels and the importance of interfaith dialogue in social integration and the protection of the town’s cultural heritage.

The Jewish diaspora of the city of Szczebrzeszyn. An echo of identity in an enigmatic cultural macrostructure

Łukasz Daniel Kita — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0200

The article presents the dynamics of the Jewish community in the multicultural town of Szczebrzeszyn, located in the southwestern part of the Lublin Province. Judaism was analyzed by showing its significance, putting local identity in a historical context. Particular attention was paid to the importance of the Jewish religion in defining the cultural identity of the town, while also considering the influence and relationships between other religions. The research was based on a review of literature, documentation, and analysis of social perceptions, showing the history of the Jewish community from the 15th century onwards. The conclusions point to the important role of Jewish culture in understanding the preservation of local traditions by the inhabitants of Szczebrzeszyn. The article draws attention to the complex influence of Jewish culture and the importance of interreligious dialogue, as well as the protection of cultural heritage.

Paweł A. Leszczyński, Państwo a Kościoły historyczne na Węgrzech w latach 1945-1989. Studium prawa i polityki wyznaniowej, Wydawnictwo Naukowe FNCE, Poznań 2025, pp. 197.

Stefan Dudra — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0200

Report of the 3rd Congress of the Polish International Studies Association International Security Study: Global-Regional and Cultural-Civilization Context of Securitization, 6-7 November 2025, Białystok, Poland

Tigran Ohanyan — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0200