Abstract: The subject of the study is the complex relationship between Saudi Arabia's Middle East policy and the Kurdish question. It includes an examination of Saudi Arabia's attitudes, strategies and actions towards Kurdish groups in the region, as well as the factors influencing its approach to this issue. The object of the study, is Saudi Arabia's Middle East policy, that is, it is an analysis of Saudi Arabia's foreign policy objectives, priorities and interests in the Middle East region, with a particular focus on how the Kurdish factor influences or intersects with this policy. This includes an examination of Saudi Arabia's diplomatic relations, security concerns and strategic calculations towards Iraq and Iran, as well as its broader regional ambitions. By analyzing the Kurdish factor, the authors offer an interdisciplinary understanding that bridges the fields of political science, international relations, Middle East studies and Kurdish studies. This interdisciplinary approach allows for a fuller understanding of the complexities surrounding the Kurdish question and its implications for regional dynamics. The article presents a historical analysis of Saudi Arabia's engagement with Kurdish groups in the region, shedding light on past policies, alliances and conflicts. By contextualizing current events within a historical framework, the article offers valuable insights into the evolution of Saudi Arabia's approach to the Kurdish factor. Moreover, the article is able to assess the political implications of Saudi Arabia's approach to the Kurdish factor on regional stability, security and diplomatic relations. By assessing the potential consequences of various policy decisions, the article provides valuable insights into effective strategies for managing the Kurdish issue within the broader framework of Middle East politics.

Keywords: China, USA, regional politics, Middle East, Kurdish issue, iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Ethnic Kurdistan

Abstract: The subject of the study is the modern regional integration of India on the example of the associations I2U2 and IMEC. The aim of the research is to identify successful methods and approaches of India, which it uses in integration efforts in the Asia-Pacific region. India's successful approaches to the process of adapting to new challenges against the background of China's strengthening in the region are being studied. The basis of the work is a systematic approach and analysis of statistical data, as well as event analysis and content analysis of official documents, Internet sources, historical and institutional methods, induction and deduction methods are used, theories of new regionalism and transregionalism, as well as the theory of regional security blocks are applied. The relevance of the study is determined by the complicated geopolitical situation in which Russia needs to apply more effective practices for rapid integration in this region. The scientific novelty consists in applying theoretical developments to a practice-oriented study of empirically observed regionalization processes in the Asia-Pacific region. In the context of a changing world order, India uses the new opportunities through new region building, applies the approaches of cooperative regionalism and transregionalism, and cooperates on all inter-regional platforms. It finds new partners and markets for its products, participates in integration associations and puts forward its own transport and logistics projects. This helps the country consolidate its leading position. India's integration experience plays a significant practical role for Russia and for other countries striving for development and leadership.

Keywords: competition, security blocks, conflict, region building, IMEC, I2U2, Asia-Pacific region, cooperative regionalism, India, Integration

Abstract: This article analyzes the relations between France and the Middle East states through the prism of foreign policy course of Emmanuel Macron, who was elected as the president of France on May 14, 2017. The Middle East vector of foreign policy is traditional for the Republic, and therefore is one of the foreign policy priorities for the current leader. The author aim to determine the essence and key peculiarities of the Middle East course of E. Macron. For achieving the set goal it is necessary to outline the priority foreign policy vectors of the president and range of countries in the region that are subject to the measures of his chosen course; analyze in which states and to what extent the leader of the Republic continues the policy of his predecessors who were in power since the early XXI century; and changes in the relations between France and certain Middle East states. The conclusion is made on the presence of particular factors that hinder the conduct of smart policy in the region, which would meet the interests of all Middle Eastern actors. Disaccord of the French leader with his international partners regarding the Middle East regulation significantly complicates the implementation of smart foreign relative to the Arab world. E. Macron is currently paying scrupulous attention to the policy of European integration, which raises a number of unresolved issues regarding the Middle East. This alongside the domestic political issues undermines the authority of the current French leader.

Keywords: United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Algeria, Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Makron, France, foreign policy

Abstract: This article covers the problems of foreign policy problems faced by the Sahel countries. The research is dedicated to the peculiarities of the policy of Sahel Alliance in countering the risks and threats to regional security. The goal consists in outlining the key priorities and vectors of foreign policy of the Sahel countries. The methodological framework is comprised of the historical-comparative and historical-genetic methods, as well as content analysis of the doctrinal sources of the Sahel countries for determination of the foremost threats. This allows establishing differences between the approaches used by Chad, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso aimed at expansion of their economic, political and military influence in the Sahel Region. The scientific novelty consists in the fact that on the basis of content analysis of UN speeches of the leaders of Sahel countries, the author examines the prioritization of threats for the four countries of Sahel Region and the desired mechanisms for their elimination. The current challenge for the Sahel countries is to simultaneously protect their people and promote development via reform for establishing lasting and stable peace in the region. At the same time, such countries as Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad and the Sahel Region overall have strengthen their strategic importance for the European foreign policy and security interests.

Keywords: instability, threats, challenges, Security, economy, forаing policy, 5g Sahel, Sahel, Africa, conflict

Abstract: This article examines the process of decolonization of Cyprus and support of the Soviet Union in the struggle against British colonialism. The author substantiates why the case of Cyprus deserves special attention, and how its national characteristics alongside other factors, including the position of Great Britain, Greece, and Turkey impacted decolonization process of the island. It is underlined that the Soviet policy in support of national identity of the Cypriots, as demonstrated by diplomatic steps in the United Nations Security Council in 1954-1958, pursued two directions: weakening of British positions in the Eastern Mediterranean, and initiation of a split in relations between the two NATO members – Greece and Turkey, using their national interests in Cyprus. The unpublished Greek and Soviet materials served as methodological framework for this research. The author leans on the archival foreign policy materials of the Russian Federation, diplomatic and foreign policy archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece, as well as the Foundation of the Prime Minister of Greece Konstantinos Karamanlis. The use of vast array of sources on the three languages dedicated to the topic allowed concluding that the tactics of the Soviet Union pertinent to Cyprus question of 1953-1959, was ineffective, since the gap between Greece and Turkey and NATO has been overcome after signing the Cyprus Agreements of 1959. A sovereign Cyprus State within the framework of the Non-Aligned Movement, and political protection of the Cypriot Communists (the strongest Communist Party in the region), would be the best way for ensuring Soviet security, since these subjects could control the use of the British military facilities, and thus, expand Soviet influence in the region.

Keywords: Cold War, Greece, Great Britain, Soviet Union, self-determination, Cyprus question, Decolonization of Cyprus, United Nations, Archbishop Makarios, Constantine Karamanlis

Abstract: The phenomenon of ethnic conflicts and accompanying factors in the various regions of the world is one of the global problems that mankind faces today. In this article the author examines the history of emergence and resolution of the ethnic conflict in the delta of the Senegal River, that started in the late 1980s. The core of the conflict was in the mutual territorial claims between the black population of the left river bank and the Arab population who resided on the right bank of the Senegal river. The author spotlights the historical preconditions, characteristics and deeper motives of the conflict. The foundation of the study consists of the method of historism, including detailed study of cause and effect relations between the phenomena covered in the article, as well as the comparative historical analysis of literature covering the Mauritania–Senegal conflict. The academic novelty of this study is based on the fact that the article analyzes the foreign literature on Mauritania–Senegal conflict, as this issue is practically untouched in Russian historiography. Based on this analysis, the author highlights the specific traits of the ethnic conflicts in West Africa - for instance, their dependence not only interreligious contradictions, but also climate change.

Keywords: berbers, Moors, drought, refugees, Mauritania, Senegal, ethnic conflict, Fulani, West Africa, deportation

Abstract: The subject of research of this article is the situation in the unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. The object of the study is the crisis in Ukraine, on the background of which the issue is being studied. The authors reveal the impact of the Ukrainian crisis on the situation in Transnistria. Particular attention is drawn to the fact that, from a geopolitical point of view, the policy of official Kiev regarding Transnistria is developing in parallel with the strengthening of the anti-Russian rhetoric in Ukrainian foreign policy. The authors demonstrate the destructive influence of the blockade of the border of the unrecognized republic from the Ukrainian side on the Transnistria region. In the current situation, when official Kiev adamantly maintains the rhetoric of a military threat coming from the Transnistria, and the so-called "security dilemma" that emerges is being studied in this article. The methodological basis of this article is defined by its goals and methods and is defined by the approach and the academic view of the authors. The theoretical and methodological basis of this work contains approaches and methods that are used by modern political science for comprehensive analysis of international relations structure, and the mechanisms of the formation of foreign policies of certain countries. Being inter-disciplinary, this study is based on the border between history, political science, conflictology, international relations. This approach allows a comprehensive and objective research of the subject. The main conclusions of the authors are as follows. The coup d’état in Ukraine paved the way to the degradation of the situation in Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. A pre-crisis Ukraine fostered the opportunities to develop tighter relations with Moscow and Tiraspol. The antagonism of the new Ukrainian authorities towards Russia push Kiev to use the geography of the country and the geopolitical context to influence both Moscow and Transnistria in order to force Russian peacekeepers from Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. Russian authorities, in turn, are required to maneuver and to carefully consider foreign policy in the region. The scientific novelty of this work is the study of the influence of Ukrainian crisis on Transnistria in the perspective of modern academic knowledge, and the usage of a broad library of sources and modern science literature.

Keywords: unrecognized state, security dilemma, Ukrainian crisis, Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine, blockade, regional security, coup d'etat

Abstract: The relations between Senegal with Gambia, an ex-colony of Great Britain, always were special, if not dramatic. Each of the four presidents of Senegal focused their efforts on strengthening the relations with this country, which is the smallest on the African continent, because of Gambia’s unique geographical position — within the territory of Senegal. This small states with a narrow coastal strip by Atlantic ocean (barely several dozens of kilometers) is located right at the center of Senegal, dividing Casamanse, its southern part, from the north. The methodological basis is systemic, structural- functional, comparative-historical, comparative-political, geopolitical and cultural-civilizational approaches, the methods of analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, modeling and observation. The border areas between Senegal and Gambia are dominated by the Jola people. They were pulled into a prolonged conflict in Senegal’s southern part, Casamance. Over 30 years, this region is a «hot spot» of political instability in Southern Africa, a hotbed for a domestic conflict. Since 1982, a political organization called the Democratic Movement of Casamanse has become an actor, its most radical supporters demanding to secede from Senegal and to create an independent state. The Democratic Movement has broad support of the local population, especially the Jola.

Keywords: international relations, conflict studies, Africa, Gambia, Senegal, diplomacy, politics, interests, security.