Abstract: The author analyzes the features of the expert activity of the RAND Corporation at the end of the twentieth century, aimed at studying the colonial experience of counterinsurgency activities of the British Empire during the interwar period. The position of the American analytical center on the possibility of using such experience in modern conditions is considered. A comparison is made of the conclusions of RAND Corporation experts on a similar issue in an earlier historical period - the Cold War era. The reasons for the change in the views of the experts of the analytical center on the question of the potential possibility of applying the colonial experience of the counterinsurgency of the British Empire are revealed. Thus, the characteristic features of the academic examination of US foreign policy decisions at the end of the twentieth century are analyzed. The analysis showed that the RAND Corporation considered this experience useful to the United States, since this analytical center believed that the United States after the end of the Cold War found itself in the same position as the United Kingdom after the First World War. At the same time, the United States repeats the same mistakes that the British Empire authorities made – reducing spending on the army, shifting the emphasis from using infantry in anti-insurgency operations to modern weapons, spreading pacifist ideas and reducing the level of military training. Also, the RAND Corporation for the first time evaluated the colonial experience of the British Empire in a negative way, thereby advocating a return transfer. The United States of the late twentieth century, according to the analytical center, should make decisions not similar to those taken by the British authorities in the interwar period, but opposite to them. This approach is explained by the fact that the RAND Corporation had to provide information support for increasing spending on the US armed forces and maintaining large contingents of troops.

Keywords: rebellion, expertise, counterinsurgency, transfer, colonial experience, Interbellum, British Empire, counter- guerrilla activities, RAND Corporation, analytical center

Abstract: In this article, the author elaborates on the structure of the purchase and rental of arms and other equipment used in United Nations peacekeeping missions. Moreover, the author determines the place of the Russian Federation in this process. The objectives of the work are to identify weaknesses in the system of procurement and rental of arms and other necessary equipment by the United Nations peacekeeping forces, determine the place of the Russian Federation in the system and draw up a single step-by-step instruction, Includes an analysis of pre-qualification requirements for the supplier, the UN Supplier Code and various levels of registration with a list of required documents, for registration of suppliers and the participation of the latter in international competitive bidding. Disadvantages of the system of purchase and lease of armament and other equipment necessary for implementation of UN peacekeeping missions have been revealed, imbalance in supply of lethal weapons between the countries of the collective West and the Russian Federation has been found. A number of scientific publications, both domestic and foreign, are devoted to peacekeeping. It follows that the relevance of the article is due to the little study of the structure of procurement and rental of weapons and other equipment used in UN peacekeeping missions.

Keywords: UNPD, ERPSD, ERP, USG DOS, Letters of Assist, Procurement, Arms, Peacekeeping, UN, Russian Federation

Abstract: In the era of renewed great-power competition, the Unites States is expanding the use of sanctions and other restrictive measures to ratchet up political and economic pressure on its major competitors – China and Russia. Since late February 2022, in response to Russia’s recognition of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic and Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, the U.S. and it allies have unleashed an unprecedented array of restrictive measures against Russia. These coordinated measures include personal and economic sanctions, financial and technology restrictions, export controls, travel and import bans. Although the restrictive measures imposed on Russia following the Ukraine crisis of 2014 failed to achieve their political objectives, the U.S. continues to escalate sanctions against Russia. Recessionary trends in the sanctioning economies (for instance, rising inflation and unemployment rates) do not stop them from looking for additional restrictive measures and tightening the existing ones. Geostrategic and geopolitical ambitions of the U.S., its allies and partners prevail over economic pragmatism. The purpose of this article is to analyze the U.S. sanctions policy towards Russia following Russia’s military operation in Ukraine. Specifically, it seeks to explore the logic of decision-making by the Biden administration regarding the use of sanctions as a foreign policy tool. The article also analyzes the prospects of escalation and de-escalation of the sanctions imposed on Russia. The author concludes that the U.S. sanctions, especially those that have been passed by Congress, will be in place for a long time. As the U.S. is enhancing its enforcement efforts, it will likely tighten the existing enforcement measures and introduce the new ones to punish sanctions evaders. The U.S. and its allies are likely to continue pursuing their long-term goal of containing Russia, degrading its capabilities and weakening its national power.

Keywords: sanctions policy, Joseph Biden, restrictive measures, Russia, European Union, great-power competition, U.S. Department of Treasury, the Ukraine crisis, U.S., economic sanctions

Abstract: The trilateral defense alliance AUKUS has taken the US-China conflict to a new level. The authors record consistent steps in US foreign policy with the aim of military and economic containment of the PRC in the Asia-Pacific region. The article traces the connection between growing power of the PRC and US attempts to organize a united anti-Chinese front with countries of the Indo-Pacific region. Further aggravation of relations between Washington and Beijing motivates further rapprochement of Russian-Chinese relations, both in sphere of economic and military cooperation with China.

Keywords: Russia, EU, RCEP, China, Great Britain, APR, cooperation, Australia, USA, AUKUS

Abstract: The article examines the prospects for the development of virtual and augmented reality technologies and artificial neural networks (AI) in the field of the production of social consent. It describes in modern IT terminology and analyzes the concept of the metaverse, the possibilities of such technology in propaganda, solving environmental problems, overpopulation, overconsumption, and achieving sustainable development goals. The object of research of this work is modern society. The subject of the research is new ICT technologies and their impact on global political processes. The purpose of the study is to analyze and forecast the use of such technologies, assess opportunities and risks. The study was conducted by comparative and analytical methods in combination with new terminology describing modern realities. The data are taken from open sources and scientific literature. The results obtained can be used to assess global political trends, global markets and information policy in the short and medium term. The risks and opportunities of new technologies currently being deployed have been assessed. A number of fundamental contradictions of Western and Chinese concepts of civilization development are revealed. A significant asymmetry in the development of the IT industry in Taiwan and the United States, and its impact on the policies of the main players, is described. The data are compared with each other and other studies in this area. Previously, the topic of the metaverse in conjunction with the Sustainable Development Goals has not been studied, which represents a certain scientific novelty. The results obtained allow us to talk about a new phenomenon in the field of communication created by leading IT corporations. An assessment of the risks and prospects of this concept in case of its implementation has been made.

Keywords: social networks, Community of Common Destiny, United Humanity, China, Taiwan, Starlink, Artificial Intelligence, information encapsulation, metaverse, personal assistants

Abstract: The relevance of the study is due to the fact that for many companies the crisis has become a catalyst for transformation. However, not every change is the result of a truly strategic choice. In this regard, the author investigates transformation strategies in a crisis, which is the subject of the study. The author substantiates that in the conditions of the crisis, these transformations will also affect offline services. A strategizing model is proposed, which consists in a kind of reboot of companies. The practical significance of the study lies in the fact that it will allow companies to set priorities differently in a crisis, reduce loyalty to familiar brands, and form new requirements for customer experience in a physical environment.   The scientific novelty of the research lies in the substantiation of a new model-the competitiveness matrix, which will help to take a fresh look at the allocation of resources. It is based on the following statement: what companies are successful in today will not necessarily be in demand tomorrow. The axes of the matrix show the degree of competitiveness of the business today and the market potential in the future. It is important for companies to anticipate these changed expectations and turn them into their advantages. For example, in the retail and restaurant sector, the focus will shift from meeting the basic need to organizing leisure for the consumer, so you will need to look for ways to make this experience unique and especially memorable.

Keywords: business, management, micromanagement, crisis, innovations, technological trends, digitalization, the company, a new reality, effectiveness