Abstract: This article is devoted to the comparative historical analysis of the blockade policy of the current President of the USA Barack Hussein Obama II and the Continental Blockade policy of the Emperor Napoleon Bonapart, who was attempting to undermine military, political, trade and economic power of its main opponent – England. As a result of the comparative analysis method, the author comes to a conclusion that the Russian policy of President Obama, which is aimed at introduction and further tightening of legal and economic sanctions towards the Russian state and its people due to the reunification of Crimea and Russia, is copying the policy of Napoleon towards England, which ended in total failure and destruction of the French Empire. There is an impression that President Obama did not learn the history of foreign states, or failed to comprehend historical lessons. Otherwise, he would have used the method of historical analogy, and it would show that any attempts of blockade of Russia are meaningless by their nature, and they are also harmful for the European allies of the USA.

Keywords: international relations, politics, Russia, Ukraine, Washington, diplomacy, ideology, Crimea, Napoleon, continental blockade.

Abstract: It has been a long time since such an acute military and political situation with long-standing consequences as the current situation in Ukraine and around it took place in the world. In such an evaluation the author takes into account that the current events in the Ukraine form new challenges and direct threats to the national interests and security of Russia, and they also initiate changes in the so-called “new global order”, which was formed during the last 25 years. The situation in Ukraine is seriously worsening and threatening the security of living of millions of Russians and a significant part of the Ukrainians. The regime, which is currently attempting to settle in Ukraine, considers it viable to have acute confrontation with Russia and subservience to the West. This is the only approach, which may allow the Kyiv to have financial aid and military – political support of the West. Finally, all the things that have already happened and will happen in the Ukraine are formed as a result of lasting attempts of the Western states to make Ukraine their strategic foothold near the Western borders of Russia. They have no other foothold like that, and they are not likely to obtain it anytime soon.

Keywords: international relations, foreign policy, Russia, Ukraine, conflicts, the Euromaidan, armed riot, color revolution, the USA, the Crimea.

Abstract: The article is devoted to the analysis of the events taking place in the Central African Republic (CAR), within the context of the general processes of destabilization of the political situation in the former French Africa. The CAR is going through a deep constitutional crisis, which is followed by the insurrections, civil war and armed interference of the foreign military contingents – the military forces of the French Republic, since its military presence is traditionally responsible for peace-keeping and support of political stability in its former colonies. The article provides a detailed analysis of the causes and evolution of the Central African crisis, obviously demonstrating the fact that currently the insurrections in many former French Africa states, which were previously regarded as sustainably peaceful, such as Mali and the CAR, have common causes and bases, which were formed throughout a long period of time, partially due to the miscalculations of the great nation states, such as France, in this region. The comparative study involves the methodology of the systemic, structural functional, comparative historical analysis, which are especially topical in the conditions of the African Continent. The novelty of the results of the studies is due to the topicality and lack of sufficient studies of the crisis, including the development of the discussion regarding the nature of the modern “failed states”. Within the broader framework the war in the CAR is a unfolding re-colonization of Africa, the fight between “old” and “new” actors in the political process for the African resources. In this respect the events in the Central Africa have the dangerous potential of political destabilization for the entire continent.

Keywords: international relations, foreign policy, Africa, the Central African Republic, France, insurrection, conflict, interests, security, the UN.

Abstract: The article concerns specific features of the Austrian federalism regarding the correlation of the competences of the federal lands and the center within the framework of legislative, executive and judicial branches of power, as well as the means for the conflict regulation within such a federal system. The conflicts between the central government and the lands in Austria are resolved by transformation of political conflicts into legal ones and their resolution within the legal procedure. The authors also attempt to follow the evolution of the constitutional reforms in the sphere of federal construction. The methodological basis includes historical method, comparative analysis as well as quantitative contentanalysis of both Russian and foreign documents. The results of this analysis allow to have an idea of the principles of the Austrian state structure Presence of a number of a compromise features in the Austrian Constitution allows the researches to characterize it as a centralized federal state. Currently, there are ongoing discussions regarding the need for the federal reforms in Austria.

Keywords: international relations, politics, Austria, federalism, centralization, federal relations, constitution, parliament, state, law.

Abstract: Review: The article is devoted to the sources, traditions and the current situation in the relations between Russia and the largest state in the South America – Brazil. The author points out the goodwill of both parties to cooperation and widening the scope of connections in all spheres. Special attention is paid to the meetings and negotiations of the leaders of the two states in the last two years, which took place in the atmosphere of mutual understanding and closeness of interests both in Russia and in Brazil. Lately Brazil is more and more often mentioned in Russia. This far and exotic state of the South America was visited by our leaders V.V. Putin and D.A. Medveded, and the Brazilian Presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Dilma Roussef. Brazil has became the main trade partner of Russia in this part of the world, and the states actively develop scientific and technical cooperation, which is in part due to the appearance of new forms of such cooperation, and scientific and cultural ties between two states also become stronger.

Keywords: international relations, foreign policy, Russia, Brazil, political stability, diplomacy, state, nation, security, cooperation.

Abstract: The state insurrection which took place in the Ukraine in the February of 2014 once again has disrupted the balance of political forces in the Eastern Europe. The election of the new President of Ukraine, who is oriented towards the West, and the formation of the political system according to the same principle may lead to the situation when the European Union shall be directly bordering Russia in the Bryansk, Kursk, Belgorod, Voronezh and Rostov regions of the Russian Federation. From the point of view of the military strategy the step-by-step lasting spread of the zone of influence of the West, its ideology and values may be regarded as a pragmatic policy, which is aimed at the global dominance of the liberal American-European civilization. For the efficient implementation of this idea a whole complex of political, economic and information instruments of influence on the developing states is being employed. This strategy may be characterized as geopolitical clientism, which is aiming at the formation of the foreign control over the national elites and key institutions of the civil society of any nation-state.

Keywords: international relations, foreign policy, the USA, geopolitics, political instability, diplomacy, state, interests, security, values.

Abstract: There is a claim currently circulating the European Union (EU), both cynical and misleading: ‘multiculturalism is dead in Europe’. No wonder, as the conglomerate of nation-states/EU has silently handed over one of its most important debates – that of European identity – to the left and right wing parties, recently followed by several selective and contra-productive foreign policy actions. Europe’s domestic cohesion, its fundamental realignment, as well as the overall public standing and credibility within its strategic neighborhood, lies in the reinvigoration of its everything but institutions transformative powers – stipulated in the Barcelona process of the European Neighborhood Policy as well as in the Euro-Med partnership (OSCE). There is a claim currently circulating around the European Union (EU), both cynical and misleading: ‘multiculturalism is dead in Europe’. No wonder, as the conglomerate of nation-states/EU has silently handed over one of its most important debates – that of European identity – to the left and right wing parties, recently followed by the several selective and counter-productive foreign policy actions.

Keywords: information war, geopolitics, multikulturalism, conflicts management technologies, political conflicts, the international safety, the international relations, politica, interests, nation-state.

Abstract: The article contains an attempt to analyze the processes in Dagestan, which is an important region in the Northen Caucasus, from the standpoint of the support of the national security of the Russian Federation. As a conclusion, the author offers a complex of measures against terrorism, as well as some proposals for the improvement of the social, economic and spiritual spheres of the Republic of Dagestan. In the last two decades the Northern Caucasus has became the most complicated and troubled region in the Russian Federation from the standpoint of social and economic situation, state administration and resolution of various ethnic-national, religious, territorial and other contradictions and conflicts, guarantees of national security. The President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin pointed out the tensions in the national republics of the Northern Caucasus, and he noted that the weakening and the falling apart of the united statehood in the early 1990s caused difficult consequences, not to say bloody conflicts, in the Caucasus. There was a civil war in some regions. The international terrorists used this situation for the aggression against Russia and the people of the Caucasus. The terror of the fighters caused stream of refugees and transferred persons. Economics and the social structure have degraded, and in some Republic it was simply destroyed.

Keywords: international relations, politics, Russia, the Northern Caucasus, Dagestan, fighting terrorism, modernization, conflict, federal power, state.

Abstract: The goal of this article is to evaluate the events, which took place in November-December of 2013 in Kyiv – the capital of Ukraine, and which were called the Euromaidan. Many scientists had some grounds to point out the similarities between the December manifestations in the main maidan of Ukraine and the analogous events, which took place at the same place at the time of the Orange Revolution – the state insurrection, which brought to power Victor Yushchenko, the pro-Western leader, who was supporting the idea of Ukraine entering the NATO and the EU as soon as possible. Nevertheless, in addition to obvious similarities, there are some differences and specific features, which should be taken into account in the analysis of the Euromaidan as a social and political event. The methodology of studies is based upon the systemic, comparative economic and comparative historic approach, analysis, synthesis and generalization methods. The main conclusion of the studies is however much the new opposition stays at the Euromaidan, the destiny of Ukraine, both well-provided for and not, Western and Eastern Ukraine shall directly depend upon the situation in Russia. While Russia remains oligarchic and corrupt and socially divided state, socially and geographically divided Ukraine shall sail the waves of uncertainty searching for a union.

Keywords: international relations, politics, Ukraine, color revolutions, security, the Euromaidan, opposition, power, conflict, Russia

Abstract: The ethnic-religious threats to the national security of the Russian Federation may be classified depending on the level of danger based upon political and terrorist activities of the bearers of ethnic and religious radical ideologies. Most of the terrorist attacks in Russia are committed by the Islamic radicals – Wahhabites, who hold the lead in the number of extremist crimes. Both Russia and global community as a whole face the need to develop a new technology for the prevention and regulation of conflicts and crisis situations, which are considerably different in their contents and course of actions from the political conflicts of the recent past. This technology should include most efficient political, legal and coercive methods, tested by previous experience, in combination with the instruments which correspond with the realities of the globalized world. In some Russian regions, which are traditionally populated with the Muslim ethnic group, the Islamic radicalism is closely intertwined with the ethnic national separatism, which is also the subject of this article.

Keywords: international relations, foreign policy, Russia, ethnic separatism, extremism, threats, conflicts, security, interests, values.

Abstract: The article presents analysis of the developments in the situation in Georgia after the Presidential elections of 2013, priorities of its foreign policy, taking into account the initiating of the Association Agreement with the European Union, course towards the strategic partnership with the USA, changes in the Georgian relations with Russia. The article discusses topical issues in the sphere of relations between Georgia and the Republic of Abkhazia, and Southern Ossetia. The author defines the important problems in the domestic policy of Georgia and the perspectives for their resolution. In the last two years there were significant events in Georgia, which is duly regarded as one of the least sustainable states in the post-Soviet territory. As a result of the parliamentary elections in 2012 for the first time in Georgia the opposition represented by the “Georgian Dream” alliance gained parliamentary majority. It also managed to form the government, which was in opposition with the head of the state. The results of the Presidential elections of 2013, where the victory belonged to the representative of “Georgian Dream” G. Margelashvili put the end to almost a decade of rule of M. Saakashvili, who had to leave the country due to the threat of possible criminal investigation.

Keywords: international relations, foreign politics, Georgia, Georgian-Ossetian conflict, “Georgian Dream” coalition, economics, Russia, Georgian-Abkhazian conflict, domestic political problems, security.

Abstract: In this article the author attempts to analyze the strategies, which are more and more often used by the United States of America and other Western stats in order to change regimes, which they find unsuitable. The author mentions the principles of relevant strategies and the practical methods. The authors provides recommendations for the possible counteractions against application of the “soft power” and “controlled chaos” strategies in Russia, offering the options for involvement of the “soft power” elements in the foreign policy of Russia. In the modern global world, where the political, social and economic standards are formed in an unified manner offered by the only remaining superpower, the indirect means of undermining the rival state from inside are often used instead of the traditional military actions. There are many names for these technologies “soft power”, “smart power”, “controlled chaos”, etc. All of these definitions involve various means undermining political and economic potential of the state. These means also include the socalled “twitter revolutions”, artificially formed oppositions, kindling the protest movements. The characteristic feature of implementation of these strategies in the regions and states, in which the West has its interests, is application of the double standards. It is proven, for example, by some specific features of the “Arabian Spring”, when almost simultaneously in the course of two months the riot covered almost all of the regions, while having no development in the Qatar and the Saudi Arabia, which are the allies of the USA. There the riots were suppressed by the local regimes fast and without mercy, and there were no protests from either Washington or other Western capitals.

Keywords: international relations, foreign politics, the USA, soft power, political instability, diplomacy, state, interests, values, controlled chaos.

Abstract: The Euromaidan in Kyiv is an event of gigantic political resonance, attracting attention of observers from Russia, the CIS and all of the world. This article provides the view at the Euromaidan events from the inside, with the eyes of the Kyiv resident, social psychologist and analyst and scientific journalist. The article includes an attempt of analysis of a number of economic, political, social and psychological events and phenomena, characterizing the latest turbulent events in Kyiv. The author casts light upon the geo-political and economic position of the Ukraine, predefining its status as a borderline between the East and the West. Ukraine has a unique standing among the global political powers, its weight may tip the balance of scales in the geopolitical opposition between Russia and the West. The author notes the need for the novel approaches towards achieving mutual understanding between Russia and Ukraine, pointing out social and psychological miscalculations of the Russian politics towards Ukraine, and offering some recommendations on optimization of cultural, social and economic cooperation between the two states, as well as on strengthening the pro-Russian vector in the Ukrainian politics.

Keywords: international relations, politics, Ukraine, maidan, color revolutions, power, opposition, political regime, protest, security.

Abstract: Attention of the global community is drawn to the Ukraine and all the Russian people may not be indifferent to the events there, since Ukraine and Russia are connected by historical and cultural unity and relations. The mayhem, which takes place in Ukraine is outside the scope of understanding of a normal adequate person, such are the derogations and persecutions towards the militia officers and their families, and the bloody provocations of the fighters of the \"Right Sector\" in the South-East of Ukraine. All of the above causes gravest concern among the population and the leaders of Russia. The concern is also caused by the insurrection in a fraternal country, which was actively supported by the so-called \"democratic\" states, the EU and the USA. The statement of the USA that the pro-Fascist organizations played a \"constructive role\" in this bloody Bacchanalia makes one think about the organizers and sponsors of these special operations. Due to the above, the analysis of the specific features of armed riots, as well as the factors serving as prerequisites for the armed takeover in a state, and the forecasts for the future developments in the situation in Ukraine become especially topical.

Keywords: international relations, foreign policy, Russia, Ukraine, color revolution, state insurrection, Euromaidan, armed riot, security, conflict.

Abstract: At the verge of 2013-2014 there was a wave of protests in Ukraine, which was caused by contradictions in the views of political forces on the vector of foreign political development of the Ukrainian state. One side was in favor of complete integration with the European Union, while another was in favor of the closer relations with Russia. Several days before the date when Ukraine was supposed to sign documents with the European Union, the Ukrainian Government has suspended the preparations for conclusion of this treaty. It caused dissatisfaction among the forces, who were in favor of Eurointegration, the acute protest actions followed, and they were mostly aimed against the ruling elite. The result of the opposition in Ukraine was the downfall of the government. This article contains overview and analysis of the factors of domestic and external economic development of Ukraine, including analysis of real and financial economy sectors. Analysis of economic parameter, such as the budget structure, trade balance, financial situation from the standpoint of business structure, correlation of foreign and domestic assets, vectors of capital movement in Ukraine allowed to uncover the connection between their dynamics and potential threat to the stability of the state.

Keywords: diplomacy, political instability, Ukraine, Russia, foreign policy, international relations, economics, nation, conflict, security.

Abstract: The article is devoted to one of the aspects of the foreign political activity of France – the so-called cultural diplomacy. This sphere of activity concerns cultural exchanges between France and other states, international cooperation of France in the spheres of education, science, French elementary and middle education abroad, cinema, music and information. The authors provide a detailed analysis of the activities of the French Institute and specialized institutions in this sphere, radio- and TVchannels, as well as modern information and telecommunication companies, which facilitate the cultural presence of France abroad. The methodology of studies is based upon the political and legal analysis of the mechanism for the cultural diplomacy of France within the framework of the comparative analysis of the analogous systems of cultural diplomacy in other states. This article is the first among the researches of this type in Russia. Moreover, the foreign legal literature provides no publications on this issue, or these publication of the scientific – popular character. The authors draw a conclusion on the relevance of use of the experience of the French diplomacy in the Russian foreign political mechanisms including the Federal Agency on the CIS Affairs, matters of compatriots living abroad and international humanitarian cooperation.

Keywords: France, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, foreign policy, diplomacy, culture, the French Institute, the Russian Cooperation Agency (Rossotrudnichestvo), foreign experience, education, science.

Abstract: The issue of return to Russia of the Soviet prisoners of war, the USSR citizens, who were forcibly brought to Germany, and the refugees is one of the least studied issues in the historical literature. Up to the late 1980s the documents on this issues were state secret in Russia. The lack of the sources and objective information caused a lot of myths around this issue. It concerns a number of publications both in the West and in Russia. Often the facts were selected tendentiously and interpretation was biased. Currently the researches have gained access to the previously closed sources, among which special place should be provided for the documents of the Soviet of Ministers (Department of the Plenipotentiary of the Soviet of the People’s Commissars) of the USSR on the Issues of Repatriation, which was formed in October of 1944. Its head was Colonel General F.I. Golikov, who was the former head of the military intelligence. These materials served as the main sources for the author, when this article was prepared. Additionally, for his analytical work the author used the documents of the State Defense Committee, Administration Department of the SPC (Soviet of Ministers) of the USSR, the Secretariat of NKVD (MIA) of the USSR, the Department of Special Camps (Control and Filtering Camps) of the NKVD of the USSR.

Keywords: international relations, foreign policy, the USSR, the 2nd World War, repatriation, the SDC, the NKVD, the prisoners of war, security, the SPC.

Abstract: On January 31, 2014 in Tokyo there was another round of regular consultations at the level of Vice-Ministers of the Foreign Affairs of Russia and Japan. The Russian side was represented by I.V. Morgulov and the Japanese side was S. Sugiyama. In the course of consultations the main attention was paid to the issues of furthering the Russian – Japanese cooperation, including closer political dialogue, wider scope of trade and economic ties, development of contacts in the practical spheres and cultural exchanges in the light of implementation of agreements achieved at the meetings of heads of the two states in 2013. There was an exchange of opinions regarding a number of topical international issues, including the security guarantees and lowering the conflict potential in the Asian-Pacific region. According to the assignments of leaders of two states – Russia and Japan there was a discussion of concluding a Treaty of Peace between Russia and Japan and its historic aspects. The parties have agreed upon holding the next round of consultations in Moscow. Specific time shall be agreed upon via the diplomatic channels.

Keywords: international relations, foreign policy, Russia, Japan, political stability, Treaty of Peace, conflict, interests, values.

Abstract: The article contains a conceptual analysis of the phenomenon of Islamic mentality on the basis of the methodological potential of the subjectivity and dogmatic principles. The Islamic mentality is regarded in the unity of historical, theological, psychological and political scientific aspects. The author showed the connection of political mentalities and the monotheistic religious dogmatic systems. The article contains comparative analysis of the dogmatic sources of formation of the Judaic, Christian and Islamic mentalities. The author shows cardinal differences among the three monotheistic mentalities in the political scientific context, showing the fundamental bases for the political subjectivity. The author discusses specific features of corporate national and individual personal types of political subjectivity, as well as non-subject type of political mentality. The author expressed an opinion on the influence of mental-dogmatic positions of the Islam on the political and psychological qualities of the Islamic world. The conclusion is made that being a super-conscience phenomenon, Islam is a supreme value for the Muslims, and it defines the mental-dogmatic quality of the Muslim political world. The author formulates the problems, grounds and possibilities for the political interaction with the Islam.

Keywords: international relations, foreign policy, Islam, Ummah, political mentality, political subject, super-conscience, lack of subject, mental-dogmatic settings, Orthodox Christian – Islamic consensus.