I did not realize for years that 1 of its manifestations – influence – could have more than 2 100 synonyms.
This allows large Interpretative freedom and the application of this concept to specify activities very loosely linked together. Thus, the influence – according to the online dictionary of synonyms – can happen in the context of power (control, command, sovereignty, domination, management), communication with people (promotion, agitation, inspiration, inducement, persuading, ensnaring, prompting, prompting, hinting, suggestion, encouragement) or effective action (intervention, lobbying, mobbing, pressure, pressure, push, blackmail, recruitment).
For a reason in technological literature, the impact is not considered to be a precise explanatory category. Due to extended connotations, this concept is utilized intuitively for descriptive purposes alternatively than analytically to show circumstantial causal relationships. It carries a large amount of contractuality, discretion, and subjectivism. It is easy to fall into the trap of exaggeration, bias, enigmaticity, simplification, or even primitiveization. The difficulties associated with measuring the graduality of the effect consequence in the careful approach to the operational and functional dimension of the concept in serious investigation of various phenomena and processes.
However, there are certain spheres of social influence in which the concept of unlimited, destructive, and demonic influences can be understood. This is the case in the field of broadly understood influence agentry, relating to the activity of peculiar services. Their interests include the deliberate dissemination of views and beliefs in order to encourage others to act or desired behaviour. Depending on the moral qualifications of the influencer (friend, enemy, his, alien) the effects of his influence are either saving or disastrous in effect. And the subject of influence is either an innocent victim, or a beneficiary, or an accomplice of evil, even in the absence of his will or consciousness.
With respect to global relations, the impact is to make changes in the value systems, in the attitudes and behaviours of the various participants, from state authorities to, through organisations, individuals. This usually happens under the cover of collective consultation mechanisms and through diplomatic persuasion of larger and stronger ones to smaller and weaker ones. The effect is to reduce the scope of autonomy, insistency or independency of various entities. As a consequence of the asymmetric relation of forces between states, the tragic reaction of political elites on the weaker side, consisting in conformism, imitation and blind obedience, is produced. The comparative character of the ruling class is revealed.
Influence is simply a long-term activity, with varying strength and various instruments. Participants usage material and intangible resources, control and intellectual manipulation, propaganda and misinformation, conduct sabotage and infiltration. Due to the specificity of specified interactions from public officials, not only a advanced awareness of vulnerability and hazard of impact from another global participants, but besides professional resilience is required.
The political impact belongs to the state's incentive force. It determines the readiness and strength of the state's efforts, or more specifically its decision-makers, to gain the top prestige and highest position in global relations. This activity is determined by various factors, from ideological values to national traditions and aspirations, the personality and ambitions of politicians, to the effectiveness and efficiency of diplomacy.
The axiological sphere is simply a peculiar support for influence. It fulfils the objectives of the directives and guidelines. Ideas and values inspire political activity, supply doctrinal legitimacy to national interests, among which there is the stabilization and defence of the existing global order, its change or extremist redevelopment (revision), expansion at the expense of others, or missionary promotion of its own values and the mission of history. In each case, the essence of the influence is to master another's symbolic sphere, so that it can be imposed on the desired, consistent with the peculiar interests affecting the imagination of the world. Moving on, it is about subjugating political elites who, under the influence of abroad actors, are inclined to make phenomena and processes that suit their interests.
In addition to negative interactions, affirmative effects can besides be seen. The influence can origin changes in attitudes, behaviour and values (emotions), in accordance with the doctrine of alliances or global communities. It can stimulate cooperative and solidarity instincts, motivate cooperation and cooperation. After all, there is no uncertainty that the influence of the United States on many members of the Atlantic community has been assessed for many decades in terms of positive, as in the political and cultural sphere. Many countries agreed to stay in America's embrace for the price of safety and prosperity. It should be noted, however, that the influence of the United States has besides caused opposition and aversion in many countries, as well as various acts of rebellion, including armed and terrorist actions.
"Civil society" for dollars
The frost by Donald Trump's administration of abroad aid from the United States global improvement Agency (USAID) drew the attention of the global public opinion to the vast amount of resources (more than $50 billion) that were directed annually in the form of grants and donations to various recipients in over 100 countries. It was 1 of the crucial instruments of the influence of successive American administrations (since John F. Kennedy's time) on building public favour towards the US, setting up media and academic circles, promoting a climate conducive to the benefit of American interests. In Poland, many beneficiaries of this aid fell into panic, as a mythical construction about the “freedom” of the media and impartiality of many NGOs collapsed. possibly this should be an impulse to put in place precise legal safeguards so that abroad states, even allies, cannot finance home political parties, media, foundations or associations under different masks?
Experiences resulting from the abroad cultural policy of many Western countries, including the usage of promotional institutions, information centres or various foundations, as tools of influence, presently benefit many countries in various parts of the world. Among them is Russia, whose global activity in the field of consciousness and ideology undoubtedly deserves close attention. On the 1 hand, the applicable state services must keep an eye on Russian influence in the interests of common interests and values, from the point of view of real challenges and threats. On the another hand, media and researchers should make in the information and analytical layer specified a resource of professional cognition as to service average communication and rudimentary respect between governments and societies of both states, sentenced geopolitically and geohistorically to close proximity.
However, this approach must be accompanied by the presumption that the 2 countries, regardless of their constitutional formation, ideological opposites and political ambitions of the leaders, are not doomed to eternal hostility, especially by the prism of their attitudes towards 3rd countries. That they can afford to reconstruct trust and normalize relations. After all, there are affirmative reasons for this on each side. Seeing the many differences in the attitude of common ruling elites, it is crucial to note, although this message is not popular among Polish rusophobes, that on the Russian side there is inactive a strong capital of interest in Polish culture, economical experience or self-government. There are fewer societies where sympathy and respect for Poles and their achievements are demonstrated.
A favorable paradox on the Polish side is that thanks to the admission of a multimillion-dollar crowd of refugees from Ukraine, the Russian language and the Ukrainian language returned to the public space. In the sense of linguistic and cultural communication, Poles have come closer in fresh years to the East than to the West. Besides, on the already tamed 1 The West barely anyone among the French, Germans or English is curious in Poland as closely as in the russian East, reaching to Central Asia. People from there want to come here, settle down, teach their language, educate their children. And in making specified choices, they do not necessarily follow prejudice against Russia. Especially since many have many household or professional connections with her.
With the mass migration of residents of the russian republics, present in various spheres of public life, including trade or transport (just look at it from the point of view of the passenger of Warsaw taxis), it seems rather curiosive to track Russian influences, without paying attention to equally dangerous Ukrainian, Caucasian or Central Asian influences. The creation of further costly specializations and the improvement of bizarre reports, serves to distract attention from real addictions and threats of penetration of the Polish state.
Geopolitics of Fear
The top-down axiom on universality and harmfulness only of Russian influence promotes the continuous instigation of intellectual wars, which Polish political formations conduct not so much with Russia, but among themselves, how they manipulate fear in Polish society. Subsequent governments hang on and exposure Poles, utilizing a propaganda device to manipulate the will, emotions, perception and cognitive abilities of citizens. The Geopolitics of Fear is the top accomplishment in these wars.
Russian influences in Poland have grown by ominous mythology, and serviced media officers, with the participation of peculiar services, make various "conspiracy theories", associate various events with acts of sabotage, conspiracy and diversion. Since it is hard to discover and exposure intentional and intentional acts of harmful influence, innuendos, slanders, discredits, and diphamation are sought. This affects the environment defending its legal status, even in the media sphere, the right to safeguard constitutional freedoms, including freedom of expression and the right to object (ius resistendi).
The awareness that people of different cultures and nations interact with each another became the basis for education after planet War II of public diplomacy. Its essence is the impact by individuals and organised social groups on public opinion abroad. This promotes the building of favour towards the interests of the state and its abroad policy, the creation of affirmative images, curiosity and openness to various forms of cooperation. Youth exchanges, school and university cooperation in education and the exchange of investigation experiences are crucial in this area.
With respect to Russia, all this has been crossed out. common relations at authoritative level and public diplomacy have been completely frozen. The regression has deepened since the Smolensk disaster. On the altar of self-propelled rusophobia in the "interactive PO-PiS union", the "good neighbourhood", the EU partnership policy, and what is most useful in regular coexistence, the openness of diplomatic communication channels. The Russian Ambassador to Warsaw was considered a ‘toxic’ figure, undesirable in regular contacts and barely tolerated. At the same time, ambassadors of the hegemonic power from overseas grew to the rank of lord-protectors in Warsaw. There have been times of deficiency of "taste and moderation", resembling the worst "models" of the end of the First Republic, erstwhile the Tsaric denominations held real power alternatively of the king. Polish diplomacy, despite its incompetence and many conceptual deficits, best fulfils the task of “disgusting” Russia to anyone who tries to keep relations with it in the spirit of realism and respect for common interests.
Ukrainian Trap
The mainstream media, with the engagement of political shawls, set the run to stigmatize and disown all those who, by their character, force of will and courage, as well as cognition and competence were able to defy the pushy rusophobic propaganda and fool society with all possible methods. The subject of many critical speeches against the political or coalition power of the “fighting democracy” became a constant informing against the Polish state becoming increasingly dependent on the war in Ukraine.
Paradoxically, despite being active in abroad disputes, Poland has grown into an “influent” associate in the game in the East among EU partners and Euroatlantic allies. Only this influence led her to a “blind alley”. For erstwhile the generous assistance of the West for Ukraine ends and American protection for European safety weakens, Poland remains alone with the claimed Ukraine and the hostile, inactive powerful and effective Russia. The political elite of the Vistula River is facing the top image disaster in centuries. It is accompanied by the request to recognise the realities and to retreat from the aggressive ideological-propagand crusade against Russia.
None of the leading candidates for the office of president in polls read the current situation in terms of opportunities, opportunities and challenges in relations with neighbours in the East. The narrow proukrain optics are blocking the improvement of an acommodative strategy that takes into account the recomposition of global geopolitics. The 'Enemisation' of the east Policy, which is to base ideas and actions on common hostility, is simply a trap from which it will be hard to appear in a predictable perspective.
What peculiarly irritates in the authoritative diagnosis of Russian influences is an highly low assessment of Poles' opposition to abroad manipulations. It is contempt for independent, inside-control reasoning and cognitive abilities. specified verdicts are issued by people with no professional qualifications, despite their technological titles or professional degrees. Amateurs and fools can do more harm than good. Their adoption of the presumption of the existence of any imaginary “camp of national betrayal” leads alternatively to the Blamash and disgrace of these pseudo-professional bodies. Without any substantive justification and empirical verification, citizens are divided into better and worse. In a plural society and a liberal-democratic state, the right to proclaim its own reasons and different viewpoints is denied. The allegation of repeating the Russian communicative ("putin speaking") proves that it would seem emotional to be infantilism, but – of horror – is an announcement of the cynical tendencies of the murderous. If something is incompatible with “the leader's line, the party, and do not give God – the European Union”, then it is simply a national disaster. You don't know whether to laughter or cry. The alleged liberal intolerance is getting better in Poland and gaining applause from the left to the right of the political scene.
The influences of abroad states and non-state structures in the planet of common practices of falsification of information and informed cynical manipulation on a global scale require a mature methodology for diagnosing and analysing threats, sophisticated techniques for detecting hostile activities, exposing sources, shielding and countering harm. specified methodology must, however, be based on nonsubjective criteria for selecting facts and events, distinguishing information from opinion and narrative, separating fact from falsehood, fabrication and delusions from real events, liberation from morbid suspicion and hostile atavisms. Against these requirements, action always leads to cognitive disorientation, which exacerbates existing dissonance, fosters the building and perpetuating of false images of the opponent, and the driving force of past makes ideological myths, conducive to the temporary consolidation of society, but in time leading to wishful thinking, power megalomaniacs and strategical errors, the effects of which – as has happened many times in past – are irreparable.
Poles are not fools
Sensitization of political and media elites against the background of hostile Russian influences, even erstwhile it has its emotional justification, in the long run it harms Polish politics, which is trapped in ahistory. Deforming political thought with metaphysical hostility and an eternal existential threat on the part of Russia directs immense social energy towards costly armaments, preparing people for the possible of devastating war, surviving in the shadow of disaster hazard and uncertainty. This is all not conducive to a peaceful social order based on sound moral bases and trust in power. On the contrary, in many cases it leads to alienation, which is reflected in the escape to emigration or redemption of properties abroad.
With anti-Russian phobias comes the morbid fear of the authorities, so that Polish society does not turn distant from its quarreling leaders. So that it does not respond to the pushy anti-Russian option and advance forces in favour of restoring peaceful balance and pragmatic arrangement with all its neighbours, including Russia and Belarus.
I am convinced that despite campaigns of lies and falsifications in Polish-Russian relations, the instigation of rusophobia and media noise, many of my compatriots have their own reasonable opinion on the quality of government in Poland, migration and integration issues within the European Union or relations with Ukraine and Ukrainians. There is no request for sophisticated influence agentry so that Poles can reasonably and rationally measure the surrounding reality. many statements on social media confirm a good knowing of the interior and external conditions of Polish politics, not deprived of unfortunately harmful fixations.
Prof. Stanisław Bielen
Think Poland, No. 17-18 (27.04-4.05.2025)
