Abstract: The subject of this research is the escalation of Turkey-Syria conflict in February–March 2020. The authors explore the prerequisites of the conflict, development stages, escalation factors, and consequences of confrontation. Description is given to the positions of the three opposing actors: Syrian-Russian, Turkish, and NATO bloc. The methodology of event analysis methodology is applied to the conflict. Emphasis is placed on the course of events reflected in charts. Use of the method of event analysis allows tracing the key vectors and their intersection: escalation – peacemaking. The author employs media reports of all parties to the conflict for demonstrating the peculiarities of escalation of the confrontation. The novelty lies in application of the method of event analysis method for assessing the specifics of escalation of the Spring Shield military operation in the conditions of modern hybrid warm, which provides different perspectives on the conflict. The conclusion is made on interaction of the actors and their impact upon escalation and peacemaking. It is established that Syria and Turkey exerted major impact upon escalation of the conflict, while Russia acted as the arbiter and the main force of moderation. Conflict potential of the Idlib crisis remains high and characterized as protracted semi-frozen conflict.

Keywords: De-escalation zone, Spring shield, Event Analysis, Hybrid war, Syrian Arab Republic, Idlib, Armed confrontation, Military conflict, Conflict of interests, Turkish Republic

Abstract: This article provides certain results of empirical study of the collective consciousness of the Russians through the prism of their reception of the principle of subsidiarity and values associated with this principle. The object of this research is the collective consciousness of the Russian society. The subject is the peculiarities of refraction of legal and political meanings of the principle of subsidiarity in the collective consciousness, as well as the degree of implementation of this principle in the relationship between the government and the citizens in Russia. The key research method is the questionnaire-based sociological survey. The acquired empirical data have undergone statistical processing and comparative analysis with the data of the most reputable sociological agencies of the Russian Federation. The novelty consists in examination of the principle of subsidiarity not only as a constitutional federal principle, but also as a technology for overcoming crises and mitigating intra-elite conflict. Using the material on the pandemic of the novel coronavirus infection “COVID-19”, the author describes the changes that in the course of overcoming crises took place in consciousness of the Russian people with regards to the effectiveness of different level of government, as well as the conclusions drawn by the Russian Federal Center out of that crisis. Among the main conclusions, the author indicates the need of the Russian citizens for the strong and effective governance that would be directly related to the citizens and be within their reach. The author believes that such need corresponds the principle of the uniform system of public authority founded in the revised Constitution of the Russian Federation of 2002, which most consistently implements the principle of subsidiarity.

Keywords: crisis management technology, crisis, centralization and decentralization, division of jurisdiction, center-periphery model, separation of powers, subsidiarity, consolidation of elites, intra-elite conflicts, COVID-19

Abstract: Design is one of the most popular instruments for administration of policy in different fields and spheres. This is reinforced by creation, implementation, and support of numerous political projects of the local, regional, national, and global levels. At the same time, design and fulfillment of various political projects is complicated by the absence of sound understanding of the content and main approaches towards the key concept of project activity — “political design”. The modern social-humanistic scientific literature has formed explicit approaches towards understanding the stages of political design, the actors of project activity in the political sphere, resources of political design, criteria for the effective implementation of political projects, classification of political projects. However, the very concept of “political design” remains polemical. Its content is saturated with different meanings, which subsequently complicates the study of other aspects and vectors of project activity in the political sphere. This article aims to summarize the main approaches towards elucidation of the concept of “political design”, outline its key parameters, and formulate the relevant definition. Methodological framework for this article is comprised of the theoretical principles of the project approach towards interpretation of politics. The author provides the original definition of the concept of “political design”, systematizes the main approaches towards explanation of its structure and content, offers the socio-technological assessment of the key parameters of modern political projects, and develops additional grounds for their classification. The article identifies and compares the procedural, administrative, pragmatic, organizational, sociocultural, historical, and innovative models of project activity in politics, describes their heuristic capabilities and conceptual boundaries. The author also develops the criteria for assessing the quality of project activities in politics, and correlates them with the basic models of modern political design.

Keywords: project functionality, project type, project quality, project efficiency, project product, project methodology, design, project, design stages, design models

Abstract:  This article is dedicated to the analysis of drug trafficking in the Western hemisphere. The subject of this research is the main routs of cocaine trafficking from Colombia to United States and the role of various transit points on the way based on the 2010-2018 data. The authors examine the key components of the problem of illegal cocaine trafficking in the region and the routes of its transportation across dry land, sea, and air from the top producer of this narcotic into the top consumer of this substance. Network analysis allows displaying the current system of relations in form of a network, highlighting the most influential figures therein, evaluate their connection and test model through mathematical analysis. The authors’ contribution into the research of this topic consists in its examination through the prism of network analysis and assessment of the role of each actor using the network toolset. The research results provide comparison of three main routes between Colombia and United States: through Pacific Ocean, through Central America, and through Caribbean Basin. It is determined that the shortest and most efficient, while at the same time more vulnerable, are the sea routes. The routes through Central America are longer and more complicated, but excluding transit points such as Panama, Costa Rica or Mexico, will allow to deliver substantial blow to the illegal cocaine trafficking in the Western hemisphere.

Keywords: cross-border organized crime, Central America, Western Hemisphere, drug trafficking routes, network analysis, USA, Colombia, cocaine trafficking, transit points, Cytoscape