S.A.Voronin Asia or Europe? Russia, in search for the self. Few thoughts on what is important

Abstract: the article deals with the search of Russian statehood identity. The author contemplates on the definitions of “despotism” and “democracy” from both, modern and historical perspective and attempts to determine if Russia’s political future lies with the Western, or the Eastern political model. He analyzes the main vectors of social, economical and political development of global civilization and Russia as its part; models of globalization, comparison of traditional and liberal values, the concept of “melting pot” and “unity and diversity”. The author attempts to unveil the lines of demarcative rifts between civilizations, to determine the axiological component of Russian statehood and its correlation with global axiological concepts. The author attempts to formulate a set empirical rules to help determine Russian statehood identity, and to formulate its new implications, basing them on the exploration of points of fusion between the East and the West. The author focuses his attention on issues and vectors of democratic development, the laws and regularities of fading democracy (in the points of its prominence, U.S. and E.U.) and its rise in countries that it was not originally pronounced in (Russia, Islamic Republic of Iran, People’s Republic of China). It seems that those factors will play an important role in determining the distribution of power in the world and Russia’s place in the greater picture.

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