Geopolitical Processes Research Articles

INDIA’S APPROACH TO THE CONFLICT IN UKRAINE: ONE YEAR ON

The article examines the Indian approach to the Ukrainian crisis a year after the start of the active phase of the military actions. The authors consider new aspects of the strategic dialogue between Russia and India, analyze the Indian position in voting at the United Nations level, study expert discussions, assess the impact of the conflict on trade and economic cooperation between the two countries. The Ukrainian conflict did not have a significant impact on the political contacts between Russia and India, although it led to an exacerbation of differences in the perception of geopolitical processes associated with the movement of countries towards opposite global centers of power - China and the United States, respectively. The crisis slightly changed the structure of the countries' trade and economic ties, although it brought about record volumes in India's imports of Russian energy resources. However, the growth in trade opens up the potential for a wider range of mechanisms of economic interaction in the long term.

РУССКАЯ ШКОЛА ЗА РУБЕЖОМ: ИСТОРИЧЕСКИЙ ОПЫТ И СОВРЕМЕННОСТЬ В ОТРАЖЕНИИ ОТЕЧЕСТВЕННОЙ ИСТОРИОГРАФИИ

The paper is a review of scientific literature on the issues of the history and modern development of the abroad Russian schools, published in Russia mainly during the previous five years. The author considers several main historiographic complexes: generalizing studies in the field of the history of the Russian abroad in the 20th – 21st centuries, which touch upon the topic of education and upbringing; works on the history of education and pedagogy of Russian emigration in the 1920s – 1980s; publications on the formation and development of the Russian school abroad in the post-Soviet period. To date, the world of education and enlightenment of the Russian post-revolutionary emigration of the 1920s – 1940s in Europe and China has been most deeply studied. To a much lesser extent, the topic of the abroad Russian schools in the second half of the 20th – early 21st centuries is reflected in the scientific literature, including the development of education in Russian in the post-Soviet states. The article notes the demand for studying the issues of the Russian school abroad in the humanitarian scientific community of Russia, which is due to the influence of geopolitical processes in the early 2020s on the world of the Russian abroad, including its educational institutions, and the state policy of the Russian Federation in the field of supporting the Russian school abroad. Following the review a conclusion is made that there is a significant potential for scientific research of the Russian school abroad in the period of the second half of the 20th – early 21st century.

Current Geopolitical Processes as a Methodological Opportunity for (Literary) Imagology

Current Geopolitical Processes as a Methodological Opportunity for (Literary) Imagology

Geopolitika kao starija sestra geoekonomije i transformacija svetskog sistema u 21. veku

The subject of the undertaken research is the analysis of geopolitical and geoeconomic changes in the multipolar world of the 21st century, which lead to the transformation of the world system. There is an ongoing evolution of the geostrategic position of the United States of America (USA), the rise of China, as well as the division of the world that occurred with the offensive activities of Russia and the expansion of other countries such as India, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia. The goal of the research is to emphasize, in addition to the basic geopolitical component, the importance of the geoeconomic component, as derived, in international relations, which is often less clearly visible in the background of many international conflicts and alliances. The main thesis of the paper is that dominant geostrategic powers such as the USA, China and Russia follow their long-term geopolitical and geoeconomic interests and goals putting them into conflicting or allied relations, which is again responsible for the configuration of power and the relationship between the great powers in the arena of world politics. The paper applies a multidisciplinary combined method that is based on political and economic sciences, and sometimes studies broader geopolitical processes or focuses on a narrower geoeconomic analysis of individual parameters.

War Crimes: Their Nature and Parameters

The goal of the present study is the epistemological and praxeological analysis of the complex concept of “war crimes.” This article seeks to penetrate the nature of the category in light of the current growing tension due to the large-scale impact of global threats. This situation has inescapable practical value in the context of the individual, in particular to ensure security in business, economy, professional development, and personal life. The identification and structuring of the components and parameters of the concept of “war crimes” allow the author to present to the scientific community a new, functional definition of “war crimes,” which is a step toward greater objectivity in subsequent assessments and understanding of the scale of modern geopolitical processes and their consequences in our lives and activities.

THE GLOBAL POLICY AND OIL PRICE: MODERN ENERGY POLICY IN OPEC PRIORITIES

The article is devoted to the current problem of modern energy policy in the priorities of OPEC countries. In particular, the influence of pandemic and geopolitical situations in the world on the oil market is investigated. One of the most important areas for the international community is energy, which is one of the main guarantors of universal security in the modern world. The agreement to reduce oil production by OPEC and non-OPEC countries has become the most significant example of international multilateral cooperation in the energy sector in recent years. During 2017-2020, the OPEC+ agreement managed to stabilise the oil market significantly. In 2017, the average price of Brent on the market reached a new agreement from 1 May 2020 to 1 May 2022. The list of participants has been significantly expanded. In addition to the 24 OPEC+ countries, a number of G-20 countries supported the deal, including the USA, which, although not formally part of the cooperation due to legal specifics, expressed their willingness to help stabilise the situation on a voluntary basis. This was an unprecedented signal to the market. To date, the purpose of OPEC is to coordinate activities and develop a common policy regarding oil production among the member countries of the organization, maintain stable oil prices, ensure stable supply of oil to consumers, get return on investment in the oil industry. In addition, an important mission of OPEC is to coordinate and standardize the oil policies of member countries, determine the most effective collective means of protecting the interests of producing countries, and cooperate with non-OPEC countries, which include Russia, Norway, and Mexico, in order to implement initiatives to stabilize the global oil market. This article examines the effectiveness of OPEC in shaping oil prices and its ability to manage the conditions created by pandemic situations and the impact of the oil market on the current geopolitical processes taking place on the world stage.

Механизмы адаптации экономики Юга России к геополитическим рискам

Currently, the regional issue is becoming increasingly important, modern world trends led to the appearance of regions as full-fledged subjects of interregional and international relations. In order to preserve their stability, it is necessary to manage effectively the development of regions, what is associated with an increased risk of negative consequences taken under the influence of global changes. Thus, the study of regional processes, the identification of factors that have a destructive impact on the situation in the regions, on the effectiveness of regional development management becomes particularly relevant. The article examines the current geopolitical situation of the Russian regions, examines the current risks and directions of fighting and preventing risks and threats. The purpose of the study is to analyze the current threats in the South of Russia and the directions of their limitation, as well as to search for mechanisms to prevent and reflect negative factors. Different interrelations with the political science research are explored, showing the complexity and multidimensional nature of many problems and risk factors, as well as their significance for the current economic and political situation in the country. The methodological basis of the study was a systematic approach, which made it possible to present the object of research in its unity and integrity as an integral part of the world political system. A systematic approach aimed at the holistic perception of integrated objects contributed to the determination of causeand-effect relationships in the analysis of the direction and content of geopolitical processes developing in the southern regions of Russia. A number of preventive measures were suggested to fight and prevent risks and threats in the field of countering terrorism and armed formations on the territory of Southern Russia. A systematic situational analysis of social, political and ethnopolitical changes based on predictive methods is demanded both in scientific-theoretical and practicalapplied aspects for forecasting and threats prevention of undermining and improvement of the effectiveness of political and managerial practices, taking into account regional specifics.

Institutional stability of public administration in conditions of sustainable development: geopolitical aspect

The relevance of the question of the development of public administration in the modern world is important because it is one of the decisive factors affecting the well-being of each state. The purpose of the article is to identify the problems faced by modern institutions of public administration, as well as the ways of their development based on consideration of the management system of the two leading countries of the world. During the research, the following methods of the theoretical block were used: analysis, synthesis, concretization, and generalization of information. The following conclusions were made as a result of the study: the historical development and the current state of public administration in China and the United States were analyzed. It was determined that the modern confrontation between the U.S. and China will intensify in the future and one of the areas of struggle will be the system of governance. It was found out that the main problem of modern management in democratic countries is the presence of bureaucratic elements, so in the future, there will be a departure from them, by increasing the power of managers in the field. The role of outsourcing in the public administration of the future was also examined. In general, it was concluded that the change and sustainability of institutions depends on the type of states. This article will be useful, first of all, to management scientists who study in detail the phenomenon of public administration and develop a theory of its reform. Also, the materials of this article will be useful for political scientists who study modern geopolitical processes.

Port power: Towards a new geopolitical world order

Though ports may appear to play a primarily economic role at a local scale, they also are important in global and geopolitical processes. Ports connect the two geographical realms of land and sea as geographic sites with the dual roles of economic gateways and nodes of geostrategic projection. Processes of port urbanization occur within, and are a component of, the dynamic of geopolitical world transitions and orders. A port power is a country that is dominant in eight metrics of port construction, management and control that combine to make it both a major player in the seas, especially maritime transport and naval capability, and with access to the Eurasian landmass. The current moment of geopolitical transition can be understood by considering shifts in port power. The twenty-first century global geopolitical order will be dominated by the country that is the dominant port power and China is currently positioned to take that role.

PRAGMATISM IN IRAN’S FOREIGN POLICY AND RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA

The South Caucasus region has been one of the key directions of Iran’s foreign policy since 1991. Iran is closely interested in the processes that take place in the region, as it has historical ties, neighborly relations and common security interests. In the first years after the countries of the region regained their independence, analysts predicted that Iran would be able to establish closer ties with Azerbaijan in the South Caucasus. Such predictions were based on the fact that the Islamic Republic of Iran is a Muslim state and prefers an ideological approach to foreign policy. However, it soon became clear that Iran’s foreign policy is undergoing a transformation. There are elements of the transition from idealism to pragmatism in the country’s foreign policy. Contrary to expectations, Iran’s relations with Christian Armenia began to develop better than with Muslim Azerbaijan. The article examines the place of pragmatism in the foreign policy of Iran in the context of relations with Armenia. At the same time, it analyzes the effectiveness of the idealist approach in the foreign policy of Armenia, as a secular state. The article suggests that, although the conceptual foundations of Iran’s foreign policy are defined by the principles of idealism, they are pragmatic in their relations with Armenia. If we look at the Iran’s policy on the Caucasus since the 1990s, we can conclude that this policy was largely realistic and pragmatic, rather than ideological. In fact, the years when the Caucasus states, including Armenia, regained their independence coincided with Iran’s withdrawal from an ideological approach to foreign policy. At that time, Iran’s new regional foreign policy was based solely on national interests due to the ongoing geopolitical processes, and the expansion of the revolution was no longer a priority.

Urban Geopolitics in ’Ordinary’ and ’Contested’ Cities: Perspectives from the European South-East

ABSTRACT Connecting urban geopolitics with critical geopolitics, this article highlights the urban geopolitical significance of learning from the European South-east. Urban geopolitics has often made reference to the European South-east in discussions of urban warfare, conflict and contestation. In particular, Sarajevo and discussions of urbicide played a seminal role in understanding the contemporary relationship between conflict and the built environment. Beyond this attention to the 1990s wars, this article shows that contemporary urban transformations in the region reflect novel processes and alignments that can contribute to the larger project of rethinking urban geopolitics: allegedly ‘contested’ and ‘ordinary’ cities in the region reflect today a reshaping of practices of material and immaterial urban geopolitics highlighting transnational and global entanglements beyond the East-West and North-South conceptual and geopolitical divides. By employing a critical geopolitical analysis of the urban, the article discusses performative acts of power in urban space and the reconfiguration of the built environment in two cities in the region as a nexus of geopolitical processes, well beyond the wars of the 1990s: Sarajevo, arguably a divided city in a contested state, and Belgrade, an ‘ordinary’ capital city of a nation-state, albeit uncontested capital of a country with contested territories. The article highlights the emergence of newer relationships beyond the East-West divide, particularly with the Middle East, specifically articulated through urban space reconfigurations. It shows how the European South-east reflects that the urban geopolitical goes beyond the usual lens of ‘contested’ urban space to ‘ordinary’ cities, which become arenas of multi-scalar geopolitics.

Using of the language factor in modern conflicts of various levels

Language is the basis of a nation's cultural identity. The language is formed over the years, absorbing traditions, national identity, reflecting the peculiarities of everyday life, culture, crafts, traditions, and religion. The history of the people is clearly reflected in linguistic features. As a result of geopolitical processes, some languages of the world become more widespread or are considered languages of international communication, such as English, while other languages die out, turning into languages that are almost not used, and their use among peoples is artificially supported thanks to special cultural programs. The article analyzes the real causes of conflicts based on the use of language and analyzes the current geopolitical situation. To confirm the hypotheses put forward in the article, the results of the conducted sociological survey and its interpretation with the projection of the results for the formation of geopolitical development trends based on the use of language issues in geopolitical positioning are given.

Geographic scouts of Central Asia

In the second half of the XIX century . Russia pursued an active policy in the Central Asian khanates, firmly determined to move its border beyond a wide strip of deserts and semi-deserts. At the same time, the rivalry between the Russian and British Empires for influence and control over the Central Asian khanates unfolded. It was a political, diplomatic and geopolitical duel, the so-called “Big Game”, in which intelligence played one of the main roles. To fulfill the tasks facing the intelligence, Russia has attracted scientific historical-geographical and military-topographic expeditions under the auspices of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society (IRGO). It was they who at the end of the XIX century. In a certain part became one of the main activities of the IRGO.The best officers of the General Staff were attracted to participate in them. It was their heroic efforts that made it possible to fill in the gaps in the knowledge of Central Asia and, especially, its western part of Uyguria (East Turkestan) and Inner Mongolia.In recent decades, due to the geopolitical processes that are taking place in the Eurasian space, historical, geographical achievements that have become world-wide have again attracted attention. Again, we have to hear about a new “Big Game” that takes place for the same values — resources, territories, trade routes. The tasks and political and technological methods of conducting geopolitical rivalry have changed. However, gratitude should remain in memory for having contributed to the implementation of the foreign policy of the Russian Empire by conducting intelligence research of the expanses of Central Asia.

Социально-философский анализ феномена культурно-исторической памяти

The purpose of the study is to reveal the mechanism of the formation of cultural and historical memory. The relevance is due to the influence of modern geopolitical processes and a new wave of conscientious aggression against our state. The dialectic of objective and subjective factors in the process of formation of historical memory is shown. The data are expressed in the form of three laws: the dependence of historical memory on an objective basis, the relative independence of historical memory, and its active influence on the material life of society. As a result, the consequences of spontaneous and conscious (manipulation of public consciousness) distortion of historical memory for the development of society are revealed. Accounting for these patterns allows you to competently build actions regarding the formation of patriotism, for example, and generally leads to the coordinated functioning of society.

Постсоветский Каспий как геополитическая единица. Проблемы описания и контуры новой исследовательской парадигмы

The purpose of this work is to explore the ways of perception and analysis of geopolitical processes in the Caspian area. At the centre of the analysis is the nature of the intellectual efforts behind knowledge production and representation of the Caspian. This brings our study to the problem of geopolitical positioning of this mesoregion with the prospect of putting forward a new cognitive perspective. The article not only reveals the pernicious nature of the widespread explanatory cliches regarding the Caspian, but tries to answer the question whether it makes sense to talk about a separate Caspian region? If so, in what terms and within what explanatory model can it be explored? Based on the geopolitical significance of the region, this area can be defined as the “Great Caspian”, located in the centre of the Eurasian continent. The driving forces behind the formation of the independent significance of this mesoregion are natural resources, trade and transport communications, geopolitical drivers and management of regional conflicts.

COUNTRIES OF THE ARAB WORLD IN MODERN GEO-ECONOMIC PROCESSES: DETERMINANTS OF DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESS

Purpose. The aim of the article is to assessment of the determinants of the development of the countries of the Arab world and its progress in modern geo-economic processes. Methodology of research. The theoretical and methodological basis of the research is the fundamental provisions of the modern theory of international economic relations, scientific works of scientists. In the research process, general scientific and special methods were used, in particular: dialectical, monographic and systemic analysis – to substantiate the essence of modern geo-economic development processes of the countries of the Arab world; analysis and synthesis – for studying the object and subject of research; PEST analysis – to monitor the positioning of the countries of the modern Arab world; statistical and comparative analysis - to compare economic indicators in time and space; graphic – for visualization of dynamic phenomena and processes; abstract and logical – during the formation of theoretical generalizations, assumptions, conclusions. Findings. The prerequisites for the involvement of the countries of the Arab world in modern geo-economic processes are considered and the systemic determinants of their economic development and progress are analysed. The positioning of the countries of the Arab world in the geo-economic space is defined and the factors restraining their economic growth are singled out. In particular, attention is focused on the corruption component of the national policy of the countries, which does not allow economic transformations to be carried out. The negative consequences of “resource regionalism” in the policy of the studied countries are substantiated. The features of state support for the social sphere and health care in the countries of the region are revealed. The positive role of startups in the economic improvement of the economies of the Arab world countries and their achievement of progress is argued. Originality. The methodological principles of conducting a comprehensive analysis of the countries of the Arab world in modern geo-economic processes are proposed. Systemic determinants of their economic development and progress through the prism of political, economic, social, cultural and technological factors are argued on the basis of PEST analysis. The strategic vectors of the positioning of the countries of the Arab world in modern geo-economic processes are substantiated. Practical value. The obtained research results can be used for further scientific developments regarding the geo-economic positioning of the countries of the Arab world and their participation in modern geopolitical processes. Key words: countries of the Arab world, global transformations, geo-economic positioning, geo-economic space, determinants of development and progress, economic imbalances, export-oriented strategies, resource regionalism.

Humanitarian Crisis of Civilization in the Context of Russian Aggression: Discursive-Cultural and Mental-Worldview Aspects

There are various angles one can view the military aggression of Russia against Ukraine and the entire civilized world from: political, historical, economic and other, yet it can also be considered in a much larger framework – mental and cultural. This aspect is the least discussed in the scientific circles; however, it is impossible to understand the essence of geopolitical processes disregarding the given segment of the modern world picture. This paper deals with an analysis of the worldview model of an average citizen of the Russian Federation, and they account for about 80 percent of the ethno-demographic array; it also extrapolates intellectual reflections to the European socio-cultural space. The research revolves around such basic impact factors as language, communication, media space, and society. The whole century of constant information interventions, methodically carried out by the political and propaganda industry from the territory of Russia, resulted in the appearance of a specific mental and worldview space. Its common representative’s mentality and reality perception characteristically is invariably clouded by the following elements: the lack of trust to any other nation (we talk about cultural phenomena here), groundless self-admiration, understanding of personal helplessness, irresponsibility, following a totalitarian leader and his utopian ideas. In this realm, one can find an explanation for the low ethical level and lack conscience of the common citizen of the Russian Federation, his petty worldview, cruelty and antagonism towards the Ukrainian people. All the social-mental characteristics of the Russian nation serve to prove the deep crisis of the spiritual sphere and the agony of the "Russian world" as such. Its desperate lunges towards independent Ukraine, other post-Soviet republics, and the civilized world in general are in fact a manifestation of collective mental disorders, they contain metastases aimed at fairly marginalized segments of the Eurasian reality and make up a recurring phenomenon.
 In his research, the author relies on the interfield material in social sciences and humanities, on the analysis of communicative behavior of political leaders and representatives of the cultural and scientific elite of modern Russia, on media products of propaganda channels, on the content of social networks, etc. The article introduces the typology of the main characterological features of the modern Russia mental space.

Intergenerational intimacy geopolitics: family interviewing and generations of memory in occupied Palestine

Critiquing the state-centrism of mainstream geopolitical scholarship, feminist geopolitics has long emphasized the need to attend to how embodied and emotional experiences of everyday life are also bound up within geopolitical processes such as conflict and displacement. Similarly, the subfield of geographies of children, youth, and families has emphasized the ways in which the everyday lives and spaces of young people are implicated within broader scale geopolitical and economic processes. In both of these interrelated strands of research, the intimacy of home and family have emerged as seemingly unlikely sites of geopolitics. Although the gendered power dynamics of the family have received attention, less often considered is the way that inter-generational interactions within and outwith the family are also intertwined within and constitute a form of geopolitics. This paper examines generational encounters, differences, and gaps, as sites of geopolitics, where resistance, resilience, and political subjectivities are formed, performed, and negotiated. To do so we draw upon two separate but related research projects examining the spaces of intergenerational memory in occupied Palestine, one examining Palestinian women’s intergenerational memories of the occupation and resistance, and the other exploring intergenerational memories of a contested religious heritage site. These empirical case studies demonstrate how intergenerational relations are constrained and enlivened by differences in life-course vis-à-vis historical geopolitical events. Examining how memory and meaning are negotiated across generations injects temporality into the concept of intimacy geopolitics, defined as a set of distant and proximate spatial relations, emotional attachments, and embodied encounters through which geopolitics is performed. Alongside this conceptual contribution, we seek to advance a secondary methodological contribution to the geographies of children, youth, and families by reflecting upon the benefits and challenges to conducting intergenerational interviews in family homes and elsewhere.

The Black Sea Region as a Conflict Space in the Discourse of Foreign Think Tanks of 2018–2021

Introduction. The strengthening of Russia’s subjectivity in the Black Sea region makes it the center of the Western media and expert-analytical agenda. The authors of the study aim to define the mechanisms of metaphorical construction of the Black Sea region as a space of conflict in the discourse of the Western think tanks. Materials and Methods. The reports of the leading Western think tanks developing the region concept are used as research materials. The methodological basis of the study is a systematic approach that combines the methods of political linguistics and geopolitical analysis and synthesis. The authors use the methods of discourse analysis to interpret the materials of foreign think tanks devoted to the study of the region, and based on the definition of dominant metaphorical models in the discourse of the Black Sea region, consider possible scenarios for the leading actors in the region. Results. The narratives of the leading American, European and British think tanks are considered and the main metaphorical models characterizing the geopolitical processes in the region are highlighted. The American discourse is dominated by the sports metaphor and its subspecies associated with gambling: the region is perceived as a space of competition, but not war, as evidenced by the lack of military metaphor, which, however, appears in the narratives of the European experts. The Black Sea region is a platform, a springboard for the projection of Russian power in the Mediterranean, which is realized through metaphors with the component “aggressive”. For the British, the Black Sea region is metaphorized as a space of information warfare. Discussion and Conclusion. There are two main types of perception of the Black Sea region as a geopolitical unit by the Western think tanks: the American think tanks see it as a space of global competition of the great powers; the Great Britain has made the Black Sea region a platform for a return to the global arena of Global Britain by drawing on the rhetoric of universal values. The materials of the article and the methodology may be useful for information and analytical support of the foreign policy of the Western countries and for design of response from part of Russia under the condition of intensification of contest of the main Black Sea region actors

THE RIGHT OF PEOPLES TO SELF-DETERMINATION IN THE POST-SOVIET COUNTRIES

The purpose of the article is to study the essence of the right of peoples to self-determination on the example of some post-Soviet countries. The methodological basis of the study consists of methods of cognition (analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, analogy, comparison), general scientific methods, formal-logical method of interpretation of law, etc. The components of the methodological base are objectivity and a combination of critical and rational, constructive approaches. Results: after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Socialist Republics became independent sovereign states, but formally rather than practically. The military conflicts in South Ossetia, Abkhazia and the Transnistrian Moldavian Republic, as well as Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine, have shown that there is still a need to reassess the role and importance of international political institutions and mechanisms for implementing international law. Discussion: the principles of territorial integrity of the state and the right of nations to self-determination are essentially related to the term «sovereignty», its interpretation and implementation in public policy. The different correlation of these principles in the state-building of modern countries leads to the intensification of geopolitical processes, often disintegration, which can lead to the development of various interethnic conflicts. The right to self-determination can be exercised in the form of autonomy within existing state borders, in the form of the creation of a sovereign state or in the form of the withdrawal of a certain people from the state (secession or irredentism). Following purely theoretical constructions, the «peoples» of South Ossetia, Abkhazia, and the Transnistrian Moldavian Republic have exercised their inalienable right to self-determination, and the «peoples» of Georgia and Moldova have violated their inalienable rights. Russia's aggression against Ukraine has become a shining example of the abuse of irredentist sentiments in society to justify armed aggression. A comparative analysis of irredentist attitudes in the civil society of post-Soviet countries allows us to highlight the features of such trends, as well as their impact on foreign policy.