Abstract: The article attempts to identify the modern political role of the Catholic Church in the region by the example of the analysis of the Vatican's relations with the governments of Latin American countries of "socialism of the XXI century". For this purpose, the author considers not only foreign policy events, but also internal processes occurring in the Vatican. For instance, the election of the new Pope Francis - a Jesuit and Argentine, as well as the election, for the first time in the history, of a new General of the Order of Jesuits A. Sosa -Venezuelan by origin - and the appointment of P. Parolin to the post of Secretary of the Holy See, whose professional path was also connected with Venezuela. In this regard, the issue of the influence of the ideas of liberation theology on the development of the ideological program of the left governments of Latin American countries is of scientific interest. At the same time, many Catholic prelates that influence the crisis political events in the region remain in opposition to the left-wing governments. The study of the above contradiction is highly relevant. The scientific novelty of the topic is determined by the increasing influence of the Roman Catholic Church not only on external but also domestic political events in Latin America.

Keywords: Nicolas Maduro, Pope Francis, Venezuela, Cuba, Latin America, Society of Jesus, Latin America Episcopal conference, Catholic Church, Raul Castro, Vatican policy

Abstract: In recent years the situation in the energy market has been changing rapidly due to the influence of various factors. The author examines the state of relations in the energy field between the European Union as a consumer of gas and Russia as its supplier and tries to answer the question: "How do such projects as the Southern Gas Corridor, TurkStream-1 and 2, North Stream-2, as well as the shale gas development and Ukrainian transit of natural gas affect the relations between Russia and the European Union in this sector?" The author applied the following main methods in his study: a method of analysis and legal interpretation of text. On the basis of official documents, expert opinions and interviews, the author finds that it is the energy sector that has united the EU member States even more in relation to other actors of the international arena, at the same time reducing the sovereignty of individual States in decision-making in the energy sector. The author suggests that the new energy strategy of the EU has influenced the change in Russia's attitude to the European energy market. It is obvious that Russia has managed to react to changes in market rules in a timely manner and to keep its place in the European market. Although both actors express their preference for maintaining "the traditional relations", the Russian energy strategy is noted for a gradual reduction in the share of exports to the EU due to the prospects for the Eastern direction development. The European Union, on its part, tries to gradually reduce its dependence on Russian gas. Russia, in turn, recognizes the importance of the role of shale gas and plans to compete with traditional LNG producers in the European market in the future.

Keywords: natural gas transit, LNG, TurkStream, North Stream Two, Southern Gas Corridor, natural gas, European Energy Union, EU - RF relations, international energy relations, energy strategies

Abstract: The subject of the research is the public discourse as the factor of efficient implementation of Russia's public policy viewed on the basis of its institutional basis, and the development of the Eurasian Economic union and European union. The public discourse of the Eurasian regionalism is viewed by the author of the article from the point of view of the development of state authority's legitimacy, the latter being created as a result of different political approaches and defined by national and regional identity of a state. The national and regional identity of the state is created is in relation to the 'others', i.e. the main foreign partners. The methodology of the research includes historical method, content analysis, functional and non-functional approaches to integration. The main conclusions of the research are the following: - a state needs a public discourse to define significant 'others' and its national interests which raises the efficiency of public policty; - efficient public discourse allows to achieve international recognition of state's interests and letitimacy of its political system; - the fact that the European Union is not ready for equal interaction with the Eurasian Economic union in the space of public discourse means that the public discourse of the EU and its identifiction of significant 'others' bear an exclusive nature; - public discourse of Eurasian Economic Union member states is in still developing and includes unstable representations of Russia and the EU as significant 'others'. 

Keywords: domestic policy, foreign policy, European Union, Eurasian Economic Union, national interests, identity, legitimacy, public policy, public discourse, Eurasian regionalism

Abstract: Author studies the hybrid warfare in the Arctic and peculiarities of war taking into account transformation of paradigm of modern conflicts as a result of transition to nonlinear model of war on the basis of indirect nonsymmetrical actions. Actuality of study is based on the growing role of Arctic region for economy and national security of Russia in conditions of sharpening of a concurrent struggle for the place at arctic field with the participation both arctic and nonarctic nations. The author makes one of the first tentative to study the use in the practice of concurrent struggle in Arctic strategy of hybrid warfare, based on the combination of military efforts with diplomatic, political, economic, information and cyberwarfare methods to fight against the adversary. The author stresses the importance to understand in time the consequences of nonlinear character to organize of counteractions knowing the peculiarities of war, specially based on the transformation of classical understanding of “friction of war” on the arctic theatre. Author demonstrates the directions of study of principles of hybrid warfare in Arctic, strategy and tactic of actions, forecasting and strategic planning of actions to support the national interests of Russia. Author warnings against the danger of Anglo-Saxon strategy оf Indirect Approach based on hybrid technologies with are used by the West against the interests of Russia in Arctic. He grounds the importance of the development in Russia a new strategical approach, based on wide use of adaptive technologies and development a new lows, taking in considerations the peculiarities of Arctic theatre in conditions of use a new model of conflict. Author proposes the measures to protect the national interests and national security of Russia in conditions of profound transformation threats and challenges of a modern time.

Keywords: cyberwarfare, information warfare, catalyst, hybrid warfare, indirect approach, strategy, conflict, Arctic, national security, friction

Abstract: The object of the research is the South Caucasus, the subject of the research is the strategic interests of particular countries, first of all, Western states and Russia, in relation to the South Caucasus. At the very beginning of his research Ozen provides an insight into the history of relations beteen several countries, Russia, Turkey and Western countries, mostly the USA. Those were the countries that have been having certain strategic interests in the territory of the South Caucasus. It is impossible to find solutions of these nettlesome issues without defining the role and place of the South Caucasus both in the regional and global environment. In his research Ozen uses the comparative historical method, methods borrowed from the theory of international relations such as historical comparison and description that allow to restore the actual aspects of certain political phenomena, and logical psychological and chronological methods. The novelty of the research is caused by the fact that for the first time in Azerbaijan political science the author makes a serious attempt to fill in the 'blank spots' of the analysis of Russia's, Turkey's, Iran's and the West's strategic interests in the South Caucasus. This creates the link to the analysis of strategic interests of the West and Russia in the South Caucasus. The strategic interests of these countries have areas of common interest but different interests as well. The latter is described by the author of the article as an individual style of a number of analysts who are concerned about the fate of Russia and Western countries. 

Keywords: politicians, the United States, the West, Turkey, Russia, the South Caucasus, strategic interests, the post-Soviet space, international relations, history

Abstract: The subject of the research is the areas of the USA policy in Central Asia. The object of the research is the policy of the USA. The author of the article underlines particular areas of the region's life the USA policy is directed at. These are the human rights and support of civil liberties organisations, the process of democratization in the region and assertion of democratic values, trades and investments. The states of the region have rich natural resources such as uranium, gas, oil, aluminium , cotton and gold. At the same time, they have very different state structures, - democratic, authoritarian, and neutral. The researcher provides trading volumes of the USA with Central Asia member states for 2013 as well as data about the financial support that has been given by America during the period since 1992 till 2015. The economic structure of the member states is oriented at the markets of the foreign states that are parts of the WTO and Eurasian Economic Union. The author of the article focuses on the contents of such USA programs as the 'ensuring safety and control over military equipment', 'drug control', and 'anti-terrorist campaign'. The main areas of America's policy in Kyrgyzstan were more of political, military, humanitarian and anti-terroristic nature while the economic factor was not so evident. Thus, during the post-Soviet period of their development, the region's countries selected different political, economic and humanitarian policy (democratic, authoritarian or neutral). That had a different effect on their relations with the USA. 

Keywords: policy, Central Asia, political pluralism, drug trafficking, counter-terrorism, ungoverned territories, energy influence, freedom of press, USA, Kygyzstan

Abstract: The subject of the research is the ideological aspects of interstate conflicts in the Pan-American regional subsystem of international relations. The author analyzes the dynamics of conflicts between the USA and Cuba, USA and Venezuela, and Venezuela and Columbia in 1991 - 2015. In the 1990s Latin American states had ideologically homogenous political regimes united by the aim to transfer to representative democracy and market economy. However, the situation changed in 1998 when Venezuela was governed by the left-wing natinalist forces that held uncompromising attitude towards the USA policy in the region. In the XXIst century Venezuela's active foreign policy often became the cause of interstate conflicts in the New World. To analyze the dynamics of international political conflicts, the author of the article refers to the restrospective analysis of the newest political history of the Latin American and USA countries. The author concludes that at the end of the XXth - beginning of the XXIst century the New World still face conflicts that were mostly caused by different ideologies. These conflicts happen between states oriented at different models of socio-political development (socialistic or liberal conservative), thus political ideas and values make a matter of conflicts. 

Keywords: U.S.-Cuba relations, international relations, Venezuela, USA, Cuba, ideology, interstate conflict, Hugo Chavez, Colombia-Venezuela relations, Barack Obama

Abstract: This article analyzes the possible prerequisites for the scenario of color revolutions in Tajikistan. It is known that Tajikistan today is included in "at risk" in relation to the color revolutions; above his priority for the organizers and writers of color revolutions are only Kazakhstan, Armenia, Uzbekistan, and in the second tier, Kyrgyzstan. Results of the analysis of network activity of opposition groups in Tajikistan suggest that the country is in the phase of preparation of "colored" coup - that is in the same phase of the color revolution scenario, which includes all pre-service training, and carried out in compliance with the conditions of secrecy. In Tajikistan, in the current form of government, there are at least two political forces, which can be used by political technologists color revolutions for organizing mass protests and armed rebellion: it is the Islamists, whose activities are generally coordinated by representatives of the "Islamic State"; and pro-American "supporters of European values" opposed Tajikistan's participation in the Eurasian integration projects, in which the leading role played by Russia. The limiting factor for the color revolution in Tajikistan is the military presence of Russia (201st base) and Tajikistan's membership in the SCO and the CSTO - the organizations, providing regional security.

Keywords: diplomacy, international relations, U.S. foreign policy, world politics, global information space, political system, interests, state, sequrity, color revolutions

Abstract: The object of study is the formation of the needs of the population that is affected by basic tendencies of development of world politics and Economics. The subject of the study highlighted the unified global economic and political space characterized by a certain convergence of the different aspects of the population of most countries, the standardization of national institutions for the formation and satisfaction of economic needs. Special attention is paid to the idea that in today's world, globalization performs some hidden from the public functions (expansion of markets, the suppression of the sovereignty of countries, access to resource rents countries) that are contrary to the stated (concern for human well-being, environmental component, uniform distribution).  Globalization generates certain supra-national macro-level of modern economy and policy, the Institute supports the formation needs of the population, creates a certain image of economic goods and technologies. A worthy alternative to such direction of development of the world economy is able to act as institutions of national sovereignty.  The author comes to the conclusion that one of the effective measures counteract the negative effect of the increase of globalization should be to change the main direction of globalization. It will involve the recognition of the multipolarity and diversity of the modern world, and the identification of common goals, needs and interests of development while addressing global challenges the global community in environmental, economic and political aspects.

Keywords: global capital, standards of quality of life, world community, economic needs, institutions, the neo-liberal model, crisis, globalization, global business, national sovereignty