Abstract: The goal of this article consists in determining the key approaches existing in Harold Macmillan’s government towards solution to the Berlin issue during the crisis of 1958-1961. This will allow filling in the picture of the British part in the cold war, as well as development of the British-Soviet and the “special” British-American relations. The author defines the object of this research as the foreign policy of Great Britain during 1958-1961, while the subject is the policy of the conservative cabinet of Harold Macmillan regarding the problem of West Berlin. This work represents an attempt to fill in certain gap in the Russian historiography and objectively analyze the policy of Harold Macmillan’s government on regulation of the second Berlin crisis. The scientific novelty of this research is defined by the fact that new documents from British national archive are introduced into the scientific discourse for the first time, which were not previously used in research literature. The main conclusions consists in the fact that British government was searching for a compromise with the USSR in an attempt to resolve the Berlin problem. Position of the conservative cabinet was based on the goal to maintain the unity of the Western Bloc, but in closed discussions, the British government was leaning towards a moderate approach, such as possibility of recognition of de facto East Germany, which corresponded with the general course of Harold Macmillan’s government aimed to betterment of relations with the USSR.

Keywords: second Berlin crisis, UK foreign policy, Macmillan, Lloyd, Lord Home, Khrushchev, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Berlin Wall, Gromyko

Abstract: The object of this research is the concept of “American exceptionalism”. The subject of this research is the approaches of China towards the problem of formation and development of this concept. The authors meticulously examine such aspects of this topic as the origin and evolution of this concept, as well as its role in the actual discourse in the United States. Special attention is given to the examination of the Chinese views on the concept of “American exceptionalism”, which presents great interest with consideration of the fact the “exceptionalism” is not a new concept for China. The concept of “sinocentrism” emerged even earlier than the concept of “American exceptionalism”. The scientific novelty of this research consists in the fact that this research is first to provide results of a comprehensive analysis of China’s approaches towards the concept of “American exceptionalism”, which is very relevant in light of both countries becoming the largest world powers and rivals in the international arena. Study of the foreign policy of each other therefore becomes a prerequisite for structuring harmonious foreign policy. The main conclusions of the conducted research consists in determination that Chinese authors either critically regard this concept, or with certain suspicion, since the United States use this concept to practically justify their involvement into the affairs of other countries, including military involvement.

Keywords: China, USA, american exceptionalism, concept of China-centrism, trade war, China White Paper, doctrine, ideology, national interest, bilateral relations

Abstract: The subject of this research is the energy vector of Russia’s foreign policy in the European Union and in the post-Soviet space during the period of 1991-2010. This article represents an attempt to fill in the gap of French historiography and analyze the role of energy in Russia’s foreign policy through the prism of French researchers. This article explores the assessments of French authors regarding Russia’s energy policy in the European Union, as well as post-Soviet space. Special attention is given to the energy policy of the Russian Federation in the Caspian region.  Preference is given to a number of French monographs on foreign and energy policy of the Russian federation from the late 1990s to early 2000s. The relevance of this research is substantiated by the fact that for the first time French works are analyzed on the subject of energy vector of Russia’s foreign policy. The main conclusion of the conducted research consists in the fact that according to the opinion of majority of French researchers, Russian Federation uses energy as an instrument of its foreign policy, attempting to first return, and then strengthen its status as the energy state.

Keywords: Russia's foreign policy, energy policy, European Union, Caspian region, post-Soviet space, hydrocarbon resources, CPC, energy infrastructure, French researchers, international arena

Abstract: The subject of this research is the Tao political philosophy of the ancient Chinese text of “Tao Te Ching” as a source of Chinese strategy. The author expounds three aspects of the Tao philosophy: administrative (perception of ideal form of government and political legitimacy), military-diplomatic (preferred types of interaction with other actors and stance on war as a political instrument), and geopolitical-geocultural (perception of culture in its place in the world and correlation of cultural mission with beingness of other actors withing the framework of certain world politics configuration). The scientific novelty of this research consists in a complex analysis of the “Tao Te Ching” texts as a potential paradigm of Chinese strategic culture. “Tao Te Ching” preaches noninvolvement as a method of government and criteria of political legitimacy, defensive pacifism and world politics model of global community of smaller states. A conclusion is made on the importance of study of the influence of Tao paradigm upon the strategy of Chinese national movements for solution of the problem of political strategic agency.

Keywords: Daoism, strategic culture theory, international relations philosophy, cultural topography, paradigmatic analysis, chinese internatonal strategy, just war theory, wu wei, agency problem, popular strategic culture

Abstract: The key research focus of this article is the emergence and further development of the multipolarity concept in international relations academic discourse in the United States, Western Europe, Russia and China. Initially, the term was rooted in Western IR school, and was elaborated as an attempt to counter-balance USSR in the context of bipolar world. The article also covers the modern practice of using multipolarity discourse in Western international political science. Particular attention is paid to the formation of the concept of multipolarity in the Russian Federation and in the PRC in the post-bipolar world. Academic discourse of multipolarity is presented in close link to the practical dimension of the foreign policy concepts of the countries mentioned in this study. The re-emergence of multipolarity was closely associated with changes in the balance of power and an attempt to overestimate the role of superpowers in the world. The consistent development of the theoretical basis of the concept was carried out until the end of the Cold War in the framework of the Western school of IR. In Russian and Chinese studies, multipolarity mostly acts as an image of the desired world order. In recent years, a number of Western scholars have recognized the objective nature of a multipolar world and the need for strategic adaptation to its realities.

Keywords: multipolarity, bipolar world, world systems, theory of international relations, Russia, China, balance of power, international studies, hegemonism, international stability

Abstract: This article presents the attempt to analyze the legal status of the borders of foreign settlements in China of the late XIX – early XX centuries through the prism of the status of the corresponding territories. Through the period of the end of First Opium War (1842) and suppression of the Boxer Rebellion, the Qing Empire opens access to their ports for foreign states, which expand their influence in the region through practical division of the country into zones of habitation. The main instrument here is the foreign settlements, which have different legal status and various tasks, but serve as certain indicator of power and influence. The settlements often bordered each other, and their inhabitants commuted across the empire as well as in these territories, which prompted the need for regulation of the emerging legal issues, conflicts and their consequences. For the first time the legal nature of foreign settlements is being researched, as well as the status of their borders, since it defined and protected the interests of the state from infringement by the Qing Empire and the other states. While there were mostly no legal or border issues associated with the rental territories, which predominantly served as places of military presence, similar to current international military bases, position of diplomatic quarters produced rather contradictory opinions, analysis of which is carried out by the author.

Keywords: state border, extraterritoriality, jurisdiction, rental territory, concession, settlement, Diplomatic quarter, foreign settlement, Qing Empire, Russian Empire

Abstract: The subject of this research is cooperation of Russian with the countries of the Asia-Pacific Region (APR) in the area of agricultural production in the southern Far East within the context of import substitution policy and the so-called “Eastern Federal Policy”. The aim of this research is to analyze the conditions contributing to Russia’s entry into the APR through agricultural industry of the region. In the course of this research, the author notates the infrastructural and technical weakness of the Primorsk agricultural cluster as a factor impeding the entry of the Russian companies into the APR markets. The scientific novelty of this research consists in the analysis of productivity of the Primorsk region agricultural sector over the recent years, based on which the author gives recommendations on the measures for strengthening the agricultural sector of the Far East as a competitive industry in East Asia. According to the conclusions of this research, the Primorsk agricultural sector can become a “conduit” of Russia’s integration processes in the APR, if the industry will become the flagman of the agriculture of the Russian Federation in the nearest years.

Keywords: agriculture, Asia-Pasific, Primorsky region, Russian Far East, agricultural policy, investment, import substitution, cross-border cooperation, cross-regional cooperation, economic integration

Abstract: The object of this research is the US cybersecurity policy. The subject of this research is the approaches and threats to the US cybersecurity in the 1990-2010s. The authors carefully analyze the approaches of the United States towards cybersecurity in this period and meticulously examine the cyber threats in US documents in the area of international cybersecurity, drawing parallels regarding US with Russia and China on the questions of cooperation and competition in the area of information technologies during the Obama and Trump administrations. The scientific novelty of this research consists in the analysis and application of a wide spectrum of Western sources and literature in the area of research on cybersecurity policy of the United States. The main conclusion consists in the fact that understanding of cybersecurity in the United States undergone several stages of evolution, and gradually gained political dimension. In the official documents, we can see mentions of external actors such as Russia and China as opponents of the US in the field of structuring global cybersecurity system. Thus, the discourse of cyber threats has changed, and their typology continues to grow and be refined.

Keywords: United States of America, cyber security, information technology, cybercrime, cyber threats, cyber security policy, US national security, US policy, foreign policy, national cyber strategy