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Geopolitics

The Train Wreck That Is Poland Right Now

Everything is collapsing: The zloty is sinking, a virus is spreading, diplomacy has disappeared, and so has the rule of law. And the government claims everything is going just fine.

Photo of police forces standing behind barbed wire on the Poland-Belarus border.

Police forces on the Poland-Belarus border.

Monika Olejnik

-OpEd-

WARSAW — Everywhere we look, there is a disaster.

The zloty is sinking because of inflation, which we owe to the head of Poland's central bank Adam Glapinski, a political ally of ruling PiS party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski since the early 1990s when the pair demonstrated against then President Lech Wałęsa and joined in burning his effigy.

At the same time, we also have a COVID-19 catastrophe. As we've witnessed, 25,000 daily cases and hundreds of deaths are not enough for the government to introduce any kind of restrictions. The Prime Minister is afraid of demonstrations that could lead to deaths from COVID-19, while tens of thousands of people recently attended the National Stadium without masks and nobody checked whether anyone was vaccinated.


When journalists ask representatives of the Health Ministry why there are no restrictions or vaccines mandates, the answer is that we have a different culture than in other countries, we are not like the Germans or the Austrians… we are more rebellious!

The power of anti-vax

How are we different from Spaniards, French, Italians, Czechs, Ukrainians, Austrians or Germans? What is this utter nonsense? This government is simply afraid of anti-vaccine sentiment. It is shameful that the Medical Council of the Prime Minister says one thing and the government says another. Why do you need this Medical Council, Mr. Prime Minister, if you do not listen to it?

Is it a restriction of freedom?

Or do Poles have different organisms than other nations, and will somehow survive this pandemic? When we hear about COVID-19 infected newborns at the hospital, our hearts go out to them — but we also ask why nobody told their mothers that they should get vaccinated during their pregnancy.

And is it so difficult to go to the cinema, theater, restaurants with vaccine passports or negative test results? Is it a restriction of freedom? Is following traffic regulations when driving a car a restriction of freedom?

Photo of Polish President Andrzej Duda giving a speech in Warsaw on Nov. 11

Polish President Andrzej Duda giving a speech in Warsaw on Nov. 11

Damian Burzykowski/Newspix/ZUMA

When Kaczynski gets involved

And finally, we have a moral disaster at the border, as historian, journalist and Holocaust survivor Marian Turski declared. We are in a diplomatic debacle indeed. When Aleksander Kwasniewski was Poland's president, he took a stand in the Maidan Square conflict in Ukraine to such an extent that he probably lost his chance to become UN Secretary General because Putin never forgave him. When there was a conflict in Georgia, President Lech Kaczynski got involved. But now that there is a conflict on the Polish-Belarusian border, and President Andrzej Duda tells the German president: "We will not accept any arrangements that were made without our approval."

Sure, it is bothersome to see Chancellor Angela Merkel talking to Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko or President Emmanuel Macron talking to Vladimir Putin. But instead of being annoyed by this, Mr. President, you should have organized a Franco-German-Polish summit. That's what the presidency is about, not just throwing around big words.

So the best we can do is flex our muscles, since the government itself can't confront any of these disasters. And on each front, it is Poland's citizens and good name that pays the consequences.

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Society

Beware: Robot Police Dogs May Be Coming To Your City, Training Still Required

Numerous cities have acquired dog-like robots for policing. Researchers say the lack of transparency and other practical and ethical questions are worrying.

Pic of a robot dog with a police officer

Walking robot for Baden-Württemberg police

Rod McCollom

In late May, after months of debate, the Los Angeles City Council approved the donation of a four-legged, doglike robot to the nation’s third-largest police department. The approval was granted at a public meeting that was interrupted at times by shouting, applause, banners such as “No Robot Dogs,” and the ejection of disruptive protesters, according to The Los Angeles Times.

In the end, the council voted 8 to 4 to accept the nearly $280,000 in-kind gift from the Los Angeles Police Foundation of the robot manufactured by Boston Dynamics, a Massachusetts-based robotics firm that is the global leader in developing quadruped robots for policing and surveillance.

The Boston Dynamics model given to the LAPD — named "Spot" by its manufacturer — is roughly the size of a golden retriever, weighing about 70 pounds and standing about 2 feet tall when walking. The robot is designed to be either remote controlled or fully autonomous. It can climb stairs and open doors. The robot can be customized to detect hazardous substances like carbon monoxide or some combustible gases. The various payloads available include sensors, cameras, and microphones, and can be customized with thermal imaging, among other features.

The Los Angeles City Council’s move to accept the donation will require quarterly reports on the deployment and use of the robot. Its sign-off was necessary as a result of a recent state law — Assembly Bill 481 — that requires police departments to seek approval and outline use policies before acquiring military-grade hardware.


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