Asked to identify the most crucial changes going on in the current world, Dr. Bonikowska responded that the biggest challenge firstly is to understand that there are two proposals on the table for states to choose from regarding their political systems. On the one hand, there is a liberal system with a democratic foundation that the West has been practicing and developing for decades.

On the other hand, however, there is Chinese proving that a state can be successful, powerful as well as rich whilst being authoritarian at the same time. Secondly, this forces the West to address the question of how to defend our democratic world and values since, for example, the Russian aggression has shown that some actors are simply not interested in respecting international rules and are prepared to use force in order to achieve their political goals or to intrude into our world.

Asked about where Poland could be situated between these two competing systems, Dr. Bonikowska stated that, despite that, there are changes needed and voted for, there is no doubt that what is happening in Poland, but also in other European countries like Italy and France, still takes place on a democratic footing.