Agnieszka Szpak
Biographic Data
| ID | 2333371 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Agnieszka Szpak |
| GIVEN NAMES | Agnieszka |
| FAMILY NAME | Szpak |
| SIGNATURE | SZPAK A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Nicolaus Copernicus University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7601-1230 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 31 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 12 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 31 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
What if mayors ruled the world?—decade after the publication of Benjamin Barber’s book
How Do National Governments Shape and Control Cities’ International Cooperation? Meta-governance Analysis of City Diplomacy
Cities play an increasingly important role in international relations and are indispensable in solving global challenges. In this context, the authors have been wondering to what extent they can interact autonomously on the international stage, and what tools do national governments use to shape and control their actions? This paper uses the meta-governance approach to examine intergovernmental relations in the context of cities’ international re…
Right to the city – not for everyone? The dark side of growing agency of cities
In recent years, cities have gained growing prominence in the field of human rights, often seen as progressive actors advancing global norms at the local level. As the tier of governance closest to citizens, municipalities are increasingly responsible for implementing the obligations of international human rights. However, this growing agency also raises concerns. Cities, while largely positive actors, can also contribute to violations of rights-…
The concept of ‘building back better’ and the reconstruction of Ukraine and its cities
The paper focuses on the long-term challenge of the reconstruction of Ukrainian cities and the role the ‘building back better’ (BBB) concept may/should play in this process. The authors indicate the potential of the BBB concept for rebuilding Ukraine and the role of international organizations (the UN and the European Union) in rebuilding Ukraine. Examples of actions already undertaken by these entities and programmes planned are outlined and exa…
Active Participant or Passive Witness? Role of City Councils in the Creation and Scrutiny of Cities’ International Cooperation
The growing role of cities in international relations and their impact on nation‐states have been unprecedented in recent decades. What has yet to be revealed is the part that city councils play in this process. In this essay we examine whether city councils are active participants or are dominated by mayors and classify the tools they have at their disposal to exert influence in cities’ international cooperation. Our research methods include des…
Areas beyond national jurisdiction in the strategic documents of Nato and the EU—A comparative analysis
Preprint artykułu
Polish sanctuary cities: How does Polish cities' help for refugees from Ukraine fit into the definition of a sanctuary city
UN summit of the future – Where are cities? A lost chance for more inclusive and effective multi-level governance
Legal boundaries: Ensuring protection amidst threats to the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukraine
Cities’ International Law-Shaping or Making and the Normative Value of Its Effects
This paper aims to answer whether cities are emerging as international lawmakers or shapers in human rights law, which is connected with the normative value of the results of such law-making/shaping. After a short introduction, an example of international agreement between cities, the European Charter for the Safeguarding of Human Rights in the City will be examined and compared to the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Social C…
The United Nations and Cities of the World: A new reality
Digitalization of Smart City—Sine Qua Non or an Option for Those Interested
A common feature of numerous definitions of “smart city” is the skilfull use of digitalization tools aimed at achieving the goals of urban policy based on the principles of sustainable development. Digitalization is, therefore, the foundation of a smart city, however, there are no uniform standards for digital solutions that city authorities could implement. This article aims to analyze digitalization solutions understood as processes implemented…
Cities and destroying ‘the other’
The aim of this article is to show that cities are very often attacked because of their characteristic of ‘otherness’. ‘The other’ may be understood as other religion, other ethnicity, other culture, other political views or other people which is closely related to the idea of diversity, heterogeneity, pluralism and density as essential features of contemporary cities. The author examines theories explaining motives for destroying cities like the…
The use of the OSCE Moscow mechanism and international humanitarian law in the Russian aggression against Ukraine
The aim of this article is to examine the use of the OSCE Moscow Mechanism in the war in Ukraine. Following this brief introduction, the first section is devoted to OSCE mechanisms in general, with special emphasis on the Moscow Mechanism. Against this background, section two presents and analyses the conclusions of the reports of the OSCE missions to Ukraine. Finally, in the conclusions, the authors point to the value of the Moscow Mechanism and…
The role of cities in the reconstruction of Ukraine
Throughout human history, cities have been targeted in wars due to their significance for politics, economy, communication and population. Today such Ukrainian cities as Kyiv, Mariupol, Kharkiv and Irpin can be added to this list. This commentary focuses on the long-term challenge of the reconstruction of Ukraine and the role cities may play in this process given their growing role in international decision-making processes. These roles include t…
Crisis of Multilateralism and Cities’ Helping Hand
This essay shows how cities are stepping into the role of nation-states and are efficiently cooperating with other cities, not only bilaterally but also multilaterally. There are clear symptoms of the crisis of multilateralism that have led cities to attempt to save or fix the multilateral system and solve global problems, notably the current COVID-19 pandemic. Can cities be regarded as a helping hand or as a fix for the multilateral system? With…
European cities, international relations and some popular connotations
Some cities have clear connotations: The Hague is regarded as the global capital of justice the Hague is regarded as the global capital of justice (sometimes of justice and peace), Brussels as the centre of the European Union (EU), transatlantic relations (NATO) and European diplomacy, and Geneva is closely associated with human rights (Human Rights Council), International Labor Organization (ILO) and humanitarian protection (International Federa…
Reaction to the Russian aggression against Ukraine: Cities as international standards’ supporters
Cities are taking part in enforcing international standards/law by humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and relief for Ukrainian refugees, severing sister cities’ ties with Russian cities and breaking other forms of cooperation with them. This enforcement consists of implementing sanctions against Russia and supporting the victim of illegal Russian aggression in the exercise of collective self-defense. The research goal of this article is to examin…
Ukraine: Remedial secession and Russian aggression
The aim of this paper is to examine the events taking place in Ukraine, in particular in light of the recent developments, and classify them in legal terms. The main research questions are as follows: Are there any justifications for remedial secession in the case of Donetsk and Luhansk republics? Are Russia’s actions legally justified? How can such actions be classified? Answers to these questions will help to outline and, in fact, discard Russi…
Evolution of the CSDP in the setting of European integration and international relations theory
The Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) represents an institutionalized attempt by European Union Member States to respond to the security challenges they confront. This paper discusses the evolution of this policy through the lens of political integration and international relations theories. The analysis integrates both the supranational and the national level, and demonstrates that European institutions have extended their privileges and…
The Saami and the Karen — common experience and differences: A comparative perspective
This paper offers a comparative perspective on a specific issue of the indigenous peoples of the Saami and the Karen. The groups being compared are from Europe and Asia, selected on the basis of their particular circumstances of living in more than one State. However, while the Saami are a relatively well-treated people that enjoy a form of cultural autonomy; the Karen are in a far worse situation with regard to their legal position as well as ac…
Climate change adaptation plans in Polish cities – comparative analysis
The research goal of this article is to examine climate change strategies in selected Polish cites. These cities include Warsaw, Kraków and Poznań. The paper covers a broader context, namely the significance of cities for fighting climate change and the attitude of Polish central authorities to the issue of climate change. It also demonstrates the importance of urban planning in climate change issues. Against this background concrete cities and t…
Test ogólnej kontroli dla umiędzynarodowienia konfliktu zbrojnego oraz określenia statusu ofiar w orzecznictwie Międzynarodowego Trybunału Karnego ds. zbrodni w b. Jugosławii
The article presents so called overall control test to internationalize an internal armed conflict adopted in the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) jurisprudence. This test is used in order to hold an individual responsible for grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions of 1949. The article begins with the creation and jurisdiction of the ICTY. The overall control test is presented by invoking and analyzing represent…
Broń autonomiczna w świetle międzynarodowego prawa humanitarnego
Along the rapid development and proliferation of autonomous robotic weapons, machines begin to replace people on the battlefields. The use by the USA of Predators or Reapers and other unmanned aerial vehicles (so called drones) in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other places in the world clearly signals distancing of the soldiers from their targets. Some military and robotics experts have predicted that “killer robots” – fully autonomous weapons that c…
Wymuszone zaginięcia w Orzecznictwie Europejskiego Trybunału Praw Człowieka - "sprawy czeczeńskie": Enforced disappearances in the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights - the "Chechen cases"
After a short historical introduction of the phenomenon of enforced disappearances, the author analyzes the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in the so called Chechen cases. Enforced disappearance is one of the most serious violations of human rights, very often described as the infringement of human dignity. Enforced disappearance is not a simple violation but a multiple one which means that it infringes several human rights includ…
National, Ethnic, Racial, and Religious Groups Protected against Genocide in the Jurisprudence of the ad hoc International Criminal Tribunals
The aim of this article is to analyse the jurisprudence of the ad hoc International Criminal Tribunals with regard to the understanding of the notion of the groups protected against genocide. According to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, only national, ethnic, racial, and religious groups are protected. Among the conclusions is the one according to which the Tribunals developed this notion in a creative wa…
Legality of Use and Challenges of New Technologies in Warfare – the Use of Autonomous Weapons in Contemporary or Future Wars
Along with the rapid development and proliferation of autonomous robotic weapons, machines are beginning to replace people on battlefields. The use by the USA of Predators or Reapers and other unmanned aerial vehicles in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other places in the world clearly signals a distancing of soldiers from their targets. In this article I concentrate on fully autonomous weapons. The theses of the article are as follows: the use of auto…
Ukraine: Remedial secession and Russian aggression
The aim of this paper is to examine the events taking place in Ukraine, in particular in light of the recent developments, and classify them in legal terms. The main research questions are as follows: Are there any justifications for remedial secession in the case of Donetsk and Luhansk republics? Are Russia’s actions legally justified? How can such actions be classified? Answers to these questions will help to outline and, in fact, discard Russi…
Digitalization of Smart City—Sine Qua Non or an Option for Those Interested
A common feature of numerous definitions of “smart city” is the skilfull use of digitalization tools aimed at achieving the goals of urban policy based on the principles of sustainable development. Digitalization is, therefore, the foundation of a smart city, however, there are no uniform standards for digital solutions that city authorities could implement. This article aims to analyze digitalization solutions understood as processes implemented…
Saami truth and reconciliation commissions
The aim of this article is to discuss the difficulties that may be encountered by the Saami truth and reconciliation commissions examining abuses against Saami indigenous peoples in Norway, Finland and Sweden. This is a significant and very recent problem, and as such, has hardly been researched in the international academia. There is rich literature on the truth and reconciliation commissions in general as well as on specific cases, but not on t…
National, Ethnic, Racial, and Religious Groups Protected against Genocide in the Jurisprudence of the ad hoc International Criminal Tribunals
The aim of this article is to analyse the jurisprudence of the ad hoc International Criminal Tribunals with regard to the understanding of the notion of the groups protected against genocide. According to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, only national, ethnic, racial, and religious groups are protected. Among the conclusions is the one according to which the Tribunals developed this notion in a creative wa…
What to Do With Failed States--a Quest for a Solution from the Inside
Journal Article What to Do With Failed States—a Quest for a Solution from the Inside Get access Agnieszka Szpak Agnieszka Szpak Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Chinese Journal of International Law, Volume 13, Issue 2, June 2014, Pages 251–258, https://doi.org/10.1093/chinesejil/jmu020 Published: 07 August 2014
Legality of Use and Challenges of New Technologies in Warfare – the Use of Autonomous Weapons in Contemporary or Future Wars
Along with the rapid development and proliferation of autonomous robotic weapons, machines are beginning to replace people on battlefields. The use by the USA of Predators or Reapers and other unmanned aerial vehicles in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other places in the world clearly signals a distancing of soldiers from their targets. In this article I concentrate on fully autonomous weapons. The theses of the article are as follows: the use of auto…
Prawny aspekt konfliktów zbrojnych w mieście. Uwagi na tle Nowej Agendy Miejskiej 2016
Konferencja ONZ Habitat III i jej rezultat, czyli Nowa Agenda Miejska z 2016 r., dały okazję do przypomnienia i potwierdzenia zasad międzynarodowego prawa humanitarnego, które regulują prowadzenie konfliktów zbrojnych i ochronę ofiar wojen. W kontekście konfliktów zbrojnych w miastach takie zasady obejmują m.in. obowiązek stron konfliktu do umieszczania celów wojskowych w wystarczającej odległości od gęsto zaludnionych obszarów, aby ochronić je p…
The Saami and the Karen — common experience and differences: A comparative perspective
This paper offers a comparative perspective on a specific issue of the indigenous peoples of the Saami and the Karen. The groups being compared are from Europe and Asia, selected on the basis of their particular circumstances of living in more than one State. However, while the Saami are a relatively well-treated people that enjoy a form of cultural autonomy; the Karen are in a far worse situation with regard to their legal position as well as ac…
Climate change adaptation plans in Polish cities – comparative analysis
The research goal of this article is to examine climate change strategies in selected Polish cites. These cities include Warsaw, Kraków and Poznań. The paper covers a broader context, namely the significance of cities for fighting climate change and the attitude of Polish central authorities to the issue of climate change. It also demonstrates the importance of urban planning in climate change issues. Against this background concrete cities and t…
Test ogólnej kontroli dla umiędzynarodowienia konfliktu zbrojnego oraz określenia statusu ofiar w orzecznictwie Międzynarodowego Trybunału Karnego ds. zbrodni w b. Jugosławii
The article presents so called overall control test to internationalize an internal armed conflict adopted in the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) jurisprudence. This test is used in order to hold an individual responsible for grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions of 1949. The article begins with the creation and jurisdiction of the ICTY. The overall control test is presented by invoking and analyzing represent…
Broń autonomiczna w świetle międzynarodowego prawa humanitarnego
Along the rapid development and proliferation of autonomous robotic weapons, machines begin to replace people on the battlefields. The use by the USA of Predators or Reapers and other unmanned aerial vehicles (so called drones) in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other places in the world clearly signals distancing of the soldiers from their targets. Some military and robotics experts have predicted that “killer robots” – fully autonomous weapons that c…
Wymuszone zaginięcia w Orzecznictwie Europejskiego Trybunału Praw Człowieka - "sprawy czeczeńskie": Enforced disappearances in the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights - the "Chechen cases"
After a short historical introduction of the phenomenon of enforced disappearances, the author analyzes the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in the so called Chechen cases. Enforced disappearance is one of the most serious violations of human rights, very often described as the infringement of human dignity. Enforced disappearance is not a simple violation but a multiple one which means that it infringes several human rights includ…
Human rights approach in selected European municipal strategies of international relations
This article examines and compares strategies of international relations of three European cities – Amsterdam, Barcelona and Stockholm. Amsterdam was chosen due to its broad human rights agenda and friendly attitude towards migrants, Barcelona due to its innovative International Relations Master Plan, and Stockholm because of its long-term vision of Stockholm for Everyone, which clearly takes a people-centered approach. The author attempts to ans…
Saami truth and reconciliation commissions
The aim of this article is to discuss the difficulties that may be encountered by the Saami truth and reconciliation commissions examining abuses against Saami indigenous peoples in Norway, Finland and Sweden. This is a significant and very recent problem, and as such, has hardly been researched in the international academia. There is rich literature on the truth and reconciliation commissions in general as well as on specific cases, but not on t…
Crisis of Multilateralism and Cities’ Helping Hand
This essay shows how cities are stepping into the role of nation-states and are efficiently cooperating with other cities, not only bilaterally but also multilaterally. There are clear symptoms of the crisis of multilateralism that have led cities to attempt to save or fix the multilateral system and solve global problems, notably the current COVID-19 pandemic. Can cities be regarded as a helping hand or as a fix for the multilateral system? With…
European cities, international relations and some popular connotations
Some cities have clear connotations: The Hague is regarded as the global capital of justice the Hague is regarded as the global capital of justice (sometimes of justice and peace), Brussels as the centre of the European Union (EU), transatlantic relations (NATO) and European diplomacy, and Geneva is closely associated with human rights (Human Rights Council), International Labor Organization (ILO) and humanitarian protection (International Federa…
Reaction to the Russian aggression against Ukraine: Cities as international standards’ supporters
Cities are taking part in enforcing international standards/law by humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and relief for Ukrainian refugees, severing sister cities’ ties with Russian cities and breaking other forms of cooperation with them. This enforcement consists of implementing sanctions against Russia and supporting the victim of illegal Russian aggression in the exercise of collective self-defense. The research goal of this article is to examin…
Ukraine: Remedial secession and Russian aggression
The aim of this paper is to examine the events taking place in Ukraine, in particular in light of the recent developments, and classify them in legal terms. The main research questions are as follows: Are there any justifications for remedial secession in the case of Donetsk and Luhansk republics? Are Russia’s actions legally justified? How can such actions be classified? Answers to these questions will help to outline and, in fact, discard Russi…
Evolution of the CSDP in the setting of European integration and international relations theory
The Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) represents an institutionalized attempt by European Union Member States to respond to the security challenges they confront. This paper discusses the evolution of this policy through the lens of political integration and international relations theories. The analysis integrates both the supranational and the national level, and demonstrates that European institutions have extended their privileges and…
Cities and destroying ‘the other’
The aim of this article is to show that cities are very often attacked because of their characteristic of ‘otherness’. ‘The other’ may be understood as other religion, other ethnicity, other culture, other political views or other people which is closely related to the idea of diversity, heterogeneity, pluralism and density as essential features of contemporary cities. The author examines theories explaining motives for destroying cities like the…
The use of the OSCE Moscow mechanism and international humanitarian law in the Russian aggression against Ukraine
The aim of this article is to examine the use of the OSCE Moscow Mechanism in the war in Ukraine. Following this brief introduction, the first section is devoted to OSCE mechanisms in general, with special emphasis on the Moscow Mechanism. Against this background, section two presents and analyses the conclusions of the reports of the OSCE missions to Ukraine. Finally, in the conclusions, the authors point to the value of the Moscow Mechanism and…
The role of cities in the reconstruction of Ukraine
Throughout human history, cities have been targeted in wars due to their significance for politics, economy, communication and population. Today such Ukrainian cities as Kyiv, Mariupol, Kharkiv and Irpin can be added to this list. This commentary focuses on the long-term challenge of the reconstruction of Ukraine and the role cities may play in this process given their growing role in international decision-making processes. These roles include t…
Legal boundaries: Ensuring protection amidst threats to the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukraine
Cities’ International Law-Shaping or Making and the Normative Value of Its Effects
This paper aims to answer whether cities are emerging as international lawmakers or shapers in human rights law, which is connected with the normative value of the results of such law-making/shaping. After a short introduction, an example of international agreement between cities, the European Charter for the Safeguarding of Human Rights in the City will be examined and compared to the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Social C…
The United Nations and Cities of the World: A new reality
Digitalization of Smart City—Sine Qua Non or an Option for Those Interested
A common feature of numerous definitions of “smart city” is the skilfull use of digitalization tools aimed at achieving the goals of urban policy based on the principles of sustainable development. Digitalization is, therefore, the foundation of a smart city, however, there are no uniform standards for digital solutions that city authorities could implement. This article aims to analyze digitalization solutions understood as processes implemented…
Right to the city – not for everyone? The dark side of growing agency of cities
In recent years, cities have gained growing prominence in the field of human rights, often seen as progressive actors advancing global norms at the local level. As the tier of governance closest to citizens, municipalities are increasingly responsible for implementing the obligations of international human rights. However, this growing agency also raises concerns. Cities, while largely positive actors, can also contribute to violations of rights-…
The concept of ‘building back better’ and the reconstruction of Ukraine and its cities
The paper focuses on the long-term challenge of the reconstruction of Ukrainian cities and the role the ‘building back better’ (BBB) concept may/should play in this process. The authors indicate the potential of the BBB concept for rebuilding Ukraine and the role of international organizations (the UN and the European Union) in rebuilding Ukraine. Examples of actions already undertaken by these entities and programmes planned are outlined and exa…
Political science (24 works) · Law (18 works) · Sociology (15 works) · Law (13 works) · Economics (10 works) · Geography (8 works) · Politics (8 works) · International Law and Human Rights (7 works) · Public Administration (7 works) · Business (6 works)