Many Westerners have seen the break-up of the Eastern Bloc as the long-expected moment of reconnection with the countries of Central Europe. Formerly, in the interwar years, these states formed a crucial part of the order within the region.
Unsurprisingly, among the countries with the most substantial deteriorations in freedom in recent years are Turkey and Poland, both experiencing evident weakening of the rule of law, contracting religious freedom, and attacks on freedom of expression.
The last couple of years have seen the citizens of several CEE countries witness the erosion of hard-earned liberalism, while privately and publicly weighing on how to prevent populists in power from further trampling citizen’s freedoms and rights.
In Poland, it is not usually those who stop going to church that loose their true faith in God, the Gospel, and the fundamental principles of a righteous Christian life. In Poland, the faith loose those who still go to church and even start clearly dominating in their Christian communities. These are the ones who have gotten their values confused and lost touch with the true Christianity. They befoul the faith with their hostility and…
The rising popularity of nationalist thought all over the world is evident. It has already won several battles in the political competition. Nevertheless, it is important to highlight an interesting occurrence here: nationalists operate with at least two incompatible opinions on the functioning of economy.
Nowadays, caring only about national interests, sovereignty of the one and only Homeland, hostility towards other nations, all become the defining features of a “European” attitude. This is also why xenophobia comes into the light, encouraging many people of a similar mono-ethnicly or mono-ethnic mindset to do the same.
Two years ago, here in Wrocław [at Wrocław Global Forum], you called United States and Europe “G2 of the world” and today you referred to them as “catamaran on stormy waters”, so I was wondering if you think that we can observe serious, permanent shift of power in contemporary world or just this storm that is going to pass? Well, I hope it’s a storm that is going to pass and I hope that we…
