Чесько-словацькі відносини: сучасні гіпотези розвитку

Abstract

In the article the author studies the aspects of methodology to research interstate cooperation and international relations due to the need for a theoretical understanding of a complex range of social, political and interethnic processes that took place and continue to occur in the regions and subregions of the European continent. In fact, a new direction in political research (such as regional studies) arose as a consequence of the political science differentiation and the need to study deeply such a historical and political phenomenon as a subregion. Moreover, not the least, the increase of scientific interest in the subregions is conditioned by the further formation of a new system of international relations.The expediency of systematic approach to studying the contemporary history of Czech-Slovak intergovernmental relations has been substantiated. To enhance the reliability of the scientific analysis of the Czech-Slovak intergovernmental relations, it is advisable to apply a systematic approach. It comprises a set of general scientific methodological principles, which are based on considering objects as complex, multilevel systems.The systematic approach also allows determining the role and place of the Czech Republic and Slovakia in the new architecture of European security and the cardinal geopolitical changes on the continent. These states, like other post-socialist countries of Central and Eastern Europe and Ukraine, for years have been not only objects that experienced the influence of global and continental processes of updating and democratization of international relations in their own development, but also became direct active participants - actors of these historically significant changes.Ukrainian historical research is taking important steps to study the system of contemporary interstate relations of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, as well as other foreign countries of Central and Eastern Europe. However, despite some positive achievements made especially since the early 2000s, Ukrainian scholars, as well as their Czech and Slovak counterparts, failed to avoid a number of standard errors and erroneous stereotypes in studying the issues related to some aspects of this research. In view of this, we consider it necessary to express a few important remarks of the theoretical and methodological character.