Abstract: The article is devoted to the prospects of using mediation techniques in the settlement of electoral conflicts. It is well known that electoral conflicts are among the most intense and rapidly developing due to the fact that election campaigns are a time-limited process. With that said, mediation, as a relatively new technology for the Russian socio-political reality, seems to be one of the most promising techniques for resolving such conflicts, since it combines mobility, focus on positive results, constructiveness and maximum flexibility, allows you to formulate and take into account the current and rapidly changing interests of the parties in the political process. The article has a pronounced practical orientation and takes into account, among other things, the existing practical experience of using mediation in the settlement of designated conflicts.   The scientific novelty of the article consists in an attempt to assess the prospects of using mediation techniques directly in the settlement of electoral conflicts. Electoral conflicts in themselves are a promising topic for research, since their occurrence is inevitable in any political system that provides at least only partially competitive elections. At the same time, due to the specifics of such conflicts, it is not possible to achieve even partial settlement by existing (predominantly legal) mechanisms, since such mechanisms are aimed only at assessing the formal circumstances of what is happening, are rather cumbersome and cannot always be applied due, for example, to the limited time of the election campaign (and even more so – voting). In this paper, an attempt is made to analyze the potential of mediation in this direction.

Keywords: elections, conflict, mediation, conflict resolution, electoral process, election campaign, mediator, voters, candidates, election commissions

Abstract: This article explores the problem of terrorism as the utter evil of modernity; determines and substantiates the reasons for the emergence of terrorism in Africa overall, and Nigeria in particular. The author reveals the establishment of one of the most sanguinary terrorist organizations Boko Haram and its initial goal; describes the personality of its leader Mohammed Yusuf, his impact upon people and becoming a politician, key events that influenced the creation of terrorist group, as well as taking the leadership over by Abubakar. The conclusion is made on the essential measures for counteracting terrorism: in order to overcome the utter evil of modernity, the Nigerian authorities, first and foremost must invest into social structure from the perspective of overcoming imbalance of interests between the elites and mainstream of society. Moreover, it is necessary to conduct policy aimed at achievement of social equality, at least with regards to majority of population. And finally, there should be the uniform law for preventing the incidences of corruption. Only then, the country would be able to reach high level of economic and social development, and government could efficiently counteract terrorism on the level of international organizations, as well as in bilateral relations.

Keywords: Abubakar, conflicts in Africa, terrorism in Nigeria, Mohammed Yusuf, «Boko Haram», Nigeria, terrorism in Africa, terrorism, conflicts in Nigeria, terrorist group

Abstract: This article is dedicated to the analysis of the relevant sociopolitical situation in Russia, escalation of protest activity, and an attempt to analyze the correlation between the current level of social conflicts, their constitutionalization, and growth of political protest. The analysis is carried out on the extensive factual and scientific material, considering the recent events. The modern Russian society is in the field of systemic crisis, which defines its specificity. Russia is among the countries with “transitional type” of social institutions, particularly characterized by the absence of the effective institutions for controlling political protest. The following methods were applied in the course of this research: historical (studying the dynamics of social conflicts in relation to the dynamics of political protests), institutional (studying the interaction between the government, social and other institutions on social conflicts and political protest), as well as system and sociological methods. The novelty and practical importance of this work lie in the attempt to reveal such correlation and its levels using the scientific tools, as well as explore possible application of the acquired information for controlling the political protest in modern society, including the use of innovative methods. The modern Russian society is objectively characterizes by the growing number of citizens unsatisfied with the forms of government’s response to social requests. Based on the empirical material and using the relevant scientific hypotheses, the author draws the conclusion that if the Russian authorities would not work on the development of the institutions for controlling social conflicts and political protest, the level of protest moods in the country would create a threat to sustainability of the existing national system of control.

Keywords: social infrastructure, political poverty, social deprivation, political protest, conflict management, civil society, power, Social conflict, political interest, social meditation

Abstract: This article examines the question of the conflict of rights, emerging in collision of rights of the minorities and separate members of the group. The author underlines the importance of threat of discrimination of minorities within the minorities. The work analyzes the efficiency and purposefulness of application of the dominant approach towards resolution of problems associates with the rights of minorities. Special attention is given to the role of identity of the participants of conflict. The main conclusion of the conducted research lies in acknowledgement of the necessity of change of the dominant paradigm in discord within the minorities. The prevailing approach cannot offer the efficient solution due to considering them as the implacable collision of equal rights. Approach susceptible to differences, will underline the importance of people’s identity, which in turn, can defuse the imminent conflict.  

Keywords: identity, multiculturalism, minority rights, group rights, social minority, cultural minority, minority, liberalism, diversity, conflict

Abstract: Using the method of historical reconstruction, the author finds out the cause and nature of the Nigerian civil war in 1967-1970. It is one of the bloodiest conflicts on the African continent for the entire post-colonial period. Comprehensive analysis of historical sources, including materials of mass media, memoirs of participants of events, investigative journalism, interviews with famous politics and diplomats, allows you to bring to light the explicit and implicit motives and goals of all parties of the conflict in this bloody confrontation. Particular attention is drawn to elucidating the role of the UK, France, USA, Soviet Union, as well as a number of African countries (such as Gabon and Ivory Coast) in the outbreak of the Civil War in Republic of Nigeria, on the specific manifestations of the geopolitical doctrine of "françafrique" in this conflict. The close connection has been shown between the events in the Republic of Nigeria and the Igbo genocide sociolinguistic groups in the Nigerian region of Biafra. The conclusion that the Elysee Palace for three years supported the Biafran separatists, providing them with logistical and military aid, providing political and diplomatic support to the self-proclaimed Republic of Biafra in order to maintain economic and political preferences of Paris in this oil-rich region. The author believes that the civil war in the Republic of Nigeria has been clear evidence of latent confrontation between France, on the one hand and Anglo-Saxon (US and UK), on the other. And, also, the following conclusion is substantiate – that the assistance of the Soviet Union rendered to the Federal Government of Nigeria was due to the desire to extend the influence of communist ideology in the countries of tropical Africa.

Keywords: risks, sequrity, state, international relations, diplomacy, interests, world politics, global insecurity, global information space, France

Abstract: The present article shows the results of an analysis of the events that took place in Hong Kong in September and October 2014, accompanied by mass unrest and disorders among the local population (mainly, among students, which was later followed by locals of other age groups), when the protesters held the financial quarters (the protest "occupation" of the territory), clashed with the police, called for the resistance against the power of the "Greater China" and demaned the resignation of head of the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong in an ultimative manner. The methodology of the research is based on system, structural-functional, comparative political and problem approaches, methods of analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, observation, analogies and modelling.The article demonstrates that the events in Hong Kong, known as the "Umbrella Revolution", have all the signs of a colour revolution and highly correspond with the scenario of the colour revolution in Ukraine in 2014, when as a result of a coup the regime of president Yanukovich was overthrown. Attention has been paid to the schemes and features of the organisation of the youth campaigning, nomination of the leaders of the protests, information and propaganda support of the directed unrests in Hong Kong and Kyiv, both of which are certainly of deliberate and non-spontaneous nature.

Keywords: politics, society, security, colour revolutions, Hong Kong, Ukraine, the Umbrella Revolution, political stability, democratic elections, protests

Abstract: The author of the article analyzes political doctrines of the “new Tory” and “democratic liberalism” that had been offered by conservative and liberal parties of Great Britain back in the 70th — 90th of the 19th century and determined the course of social transformations in such important spheres like health care, education, housing and labor legislation, etc. The fact that the leading political parties appealed to social policy is viewed in terms of the interparty fight between Tory and Whigs for votes of electors which, according to the author of the present article, allows to better understand the reasons and nature of social transformations of Victorian England during the second half of the 19th century. In her research Tsvetkova has used the formal-logical method and the method of ascending from the abstract to the concrete, the method of historical comparative analysis and the methods of abstraction, deduction and induction. The social policy of Great Britain in the 70th — 90th of the 19th century was defined by the opposition between conservators and liberals. Even though that fight created the illusion of choice, it allowed to avoid revolutions. Social reforms were mostly based on using political technologies to reduce revolutionary moods which, paradoxically, made a serious influence on the improvement of living conditions of the population.

Keywords: Great Britain, Tory, Whigs, social reforms, new Tory, democratic liberalism, social welfare states, the pendulum principle, laissez-faire, individualism.