The crisis and the crisis situation – relations

Janusz Falecki, Bolesław Markowski The crisis and the crisis situation – relations Security Dimensions and Socio-Legal Studies nr 7, 84-94 2012 Ing. Janusz Falecki PhD. Higher School of Commerce in Kielce THE CRISIS AND THE CRISIS SITUATION – RELATIONS Abstract: In order to discuss the relationship between crisis and crisis situation, we should first define the two concepts and analyze them. The term “crisis” is an ambiguous notion used in many areas, such as: political science, military science, organization and management science, economics or medical science. This term derives from the ancient Greek word “krisis” and indicates a turning point, a decisive moment, a qualitative change of the system or within the system. In colloquial speech, the term “crisis” is used in situations that are associated with threat. The term is used to speak of the political, economic, energy, social, natural environment crisis, or of the crisis of values. In the field of security a “crisis” is variously defined in connection with this field, scientific approach and practical activity. Keywords: Crisis, environment, politics, economy, energy. In the field of a broadly understood security very often the concept of crisis and crisis situation is used. The phenomenon of crisis and crisis situation is perceived in the political relations in the international arena, but also by the public in a given country. Thus, defining crises situations and their apogee in the form of a crisis, we refer to any situations threatening the so far perceived stabilization in a given environment. The term crisis is recognized as all the circumstances that lead the operation entity to the necessity of taking decisions as to the situation emerged. However, the crisis constitutes the apogee of unresolved crisis situation. To solve it, one should apply measures and procedures of a specific action1. Popularly and sometimes even in the Comp. A. Czupryński, Czynniki zjawiska kryzysogennego na obszarze kraju, „Problemy Ochrony Granic”, Biuletyn CSSG no. 31, Kętrzyn 2005, p. 124. 1 84 literature on the problem, a crisis is associated with the crisis situation which is obviously incorrect. Therefore, what dependencies and relations function between these phenomena? In order to discuss the relationship between crisis and crisis situation, we should first define the two concepts and analyze them. The term “crisis” is an ambiguous notion used in many areas, such as: political science, military science, organization and management science, economics or medical science. This term derives from the ancient Greek word “krisis” and indicates a turning point, a decisive moment, a qualitative change of the system or within the system. In colloquial speech, the term “crisis” is used in situations that are associated with threat. The term is used to speak of the political, economic, energy, social, natural environment crisis, or of the crisis of values. In the field of security a “crisis” is variously defined in connection with this field, scientific approach and practical activity. The dictionary of basic terms relating to national security defines crisis as a form (a phase) of “the conflict as a result of which there comes to a sudden rise of tension between the parties as a result of what an armed conflict may take place”2. However, in the Dictionary of the Polish language we will find the following definition: “a situation unfavorable to someone or something, a more serious breakdown of the economic growth process, which is caused by the contradictions inherent in the relations of production, a sudden rapid turning point of the disease with a rapid receding of a fever or other symptoms, crisis”3. W. Kopaliński defines “crisis” as a “moment, a breakthrough, crisis, the decisive turning point, a period of economic collapse”4. In turn, in the Dictionary of national security terms “crisis” is defined as Słownik podstawowych terminów dotyczących bezpieczeństwa państwa, Warszawa 1994, p. 13. 3 Słownik języka polskiego, PWN, Warszawa 1982, p.1006. 4 W. Kopaliński, Słownik wyrazów obcych i zwrotów obcojęzycznych, PW Wiedza Powszechna, Warszawa 1990, p. 285. 2 85 a situation which is “the result of threat, that leads in consequence to the breaking off or significant weakening of social ties, during the serious disruption of functioning of public institutions, but to such a degree that the used measures necessary to assure or restore the security do not justify the introduction of any of the states of emergency provided in the Constitution of RP”5. In the same dictionary we find that “crisis” is a situation arising in the “course of conducting combat operations, threatening with the loss of initiative and the possibility of losing the campaign, battle or operation, requiring to undertake decisive, versatile preventive steps”6. Another definition describes the term “crisis” as the situation emerging as a result of the “collapse of the so far stable process of development, threatening with the loss of initiative and the necessity to accept unfavorable terms, requiring to undertake decisive, versatile preventive steps”7. An extremely broad and general approach to the notion “crisis” formulates Z. Andrzejczak, who the concept of the term understands as the situation of “non-military or political-military nature, the consequences of which threaten the life or health of large number of people, property in large sizes, the environment in large areas, safety of citizens and the public order as well as security, and the state’s constitutional structure, and the prevention and liquidation of their effects is undertaken using common or emergency measures, in cooperation of various public administration authorities and institutions as well as specialized services and formations, including the armed forces operating under a uniform leadership.”8 Considering the above definitions results in the opinion that a crisis: is a particular state or process, always represents a breakthrough between the two phases of a given process, may be more or less intense, may have a different scope, duration, but it always ends the current state of affairs, it is a violaSłownik terminów z zakresu bezpieczeństwa narodowego, AON, Warszawa 2002, p. 61. Ibidem, p. 61. 7 Słownik terminów z zakresu bezpieczeństwa…, op. cit., p. 61. 8 Z. Andrzejczak, Koncepcja doskonalenia Krajowego Systemu Zarządzania Kryzysowego w aspekcie ustaw o stanach nadzwyczajnych, ,,Myśl Wojskowa” no. 1, 2005, p. 43. 5 6 86 tion of a state of equilibrium, not completed in time causes the interruption of the development cycle.”9 In the objective definitions, there are contained features which are attributed to the concept of “crisis” and to which we include: –– a turning point of a change for better or worse; –– an emotional momentary event or a radical change in the life of a man; –– a need to act under the pressure of time, the flow of which causes the escalation of phenomenon and requi (...truncated)