Abstract: The article concerns a military element of the Arctic strategy of Russia. The author describes the key documents on the strategy and actions of Russia in the Arctic region. The author analyzes the statements of the Russian officials and experts regarding the military policy of the state in Arctic region, and he points out some differences between statements and acts of the Russian government in this region. In particular, it is noted that Russia was always stating that it was against militarizing the region, but the military presence of Russia in the region is ever-growing.  At the same time, the general military presence in Arctic region is growing. The author comes to a conclusion that in order to stabilize the situation in the Arctic region, the states need to follow military parity and to solve appearing problems solely by diplomatic means.  The article may be of interest to the researchers in the sphere of Russian policy in the Arctic region and geopolitical situation in the Arctic region as a while, as well as to those studying a military aspect of the Northern policy.

Keywords: the Arctic Regions, policy, strategy, military presence, militarization, presence, potential, parity, geopolicy, diplomacy

Abstract: The Republic of Karelia has a number of positive features compared with other northern regions of the Russian Federation, since it has a rather lengthy border with Finland, and accordingly it has connections with the markets of the European Union.  Usually such a factor may facilitate diffusion of innovative and investment activities into the Republic from the developed states.  Additionally, the Republic has a developed scientific and educational basis. However, the level of innovative and investment activities in Karelia is among the lowest in the North-Western Federal District, and in Russia in general.  The article includes analysis of innovative and investment activities in the region and the limitations precluding innovative development.  The authors reflect the tendencies of social and economic development in the region, taking into account various factors, such as progressive structural  moves in the economy, changes in the values and attitudes, investor motivation, etc.  Having evaluated innovative potential of development of the regional economy, the authors come to a conclusion that its greater involvement into the market turnover shall facilitate the improvement of the economic positions of the region, making it more competitive, and it shall also provide for stability in the labor market and demographic processes.  However, if a inertia scenario is followed without the direction towards innovative economic development, the destructive tendencies in production mobility, human capital mobility shall be strengthened, which is evidenced by the negative migrant flow.

Keywords: innovative potential, investments, strengthened competition, competitive benefits criteria, technological development, modernization of regional economy, structural moves, openness of economy, education quality, production factors mobility

Abstract: The boundary security is analyzed within boundary studies, its object of study is boundary processes, boundary systems, and boundary influences.  This article includes evaluation of approaches towards boundary security modeling from the standpoints of systemic analysis, system science, operation studies.  The article contains three parts.  Part one is devoted to the structure of boundary studies, and its main characteristics, such as norms and principles of boundary activities, functions of boundaries, boundary policy and boundary means, threats in boundary areas, types of boundary influences, etc.   In the second part it is shown that complicated boundary processes may be modelled with the use of hierarchy and chains of models. The author studies 13 modelling levels starting from the physical and geographic level and finishing with the goal-setting level.  The modeling chains are based upon general and specialized cycles of activity and administration.  The last part provides for modeling methods in the sphere of boundary security. Rephrasing William Ashby, one may state that real process models of boundary security guarantees should be no less varied than the variety of real administrative situations. Due to this fact, the model should be multi-level and they should correspond with universal and special cycles of administration and activities.

Keywords: boundary security, boundary studies, boundary metrics, limology, security theory, modeling levels, administration cycles, matrix of models, boundary policy, structure of boundary studies

Abstract: The changes in economic and social institutions, political system and mindset of the people of Russia is accompanied by tensions at various levels of social organization. The combination of tensions of social, mental and social-psychological character, which are capable of causing conflicts in the society in some circumstances, can be jointly viewed as social conflictogenity of a soeciety. The social conflictogenity contains intertwined objective and subjective conflictogenic factors, and it is a meidum link between a sustainable social structure and developing social conflicts.  In order to develop measures for lowering the social conflictogenit level, there is need to diagnose it, including social conflictogenic monitoring, and uncovering the causes of its level.  The offered diagnostic method for establishing social conflictogenity allows to define dynamics of general markers, characterising the level of social conflictogenity in a state or a particular region, and to uncover the causes of growth of social tension in a society. This method was tested on materials from Russia. 

Keywords: social tension, conflictogenity of a society, diagnostics, conflictogenity level, conflictogenity evaluation, conflictogenity, conflict, tension, conflictogenity management, factor analysis

Abstract: Based upon analysis of legal, psychological, political and other special sources of literature and legal practice, the author studies the current situation in the sphere of  patriotic education of the citizens of the Russian Federation and the legal issues of its regulation.  Much attention is paid to the specific personality features of convicts, who have committed terrorist and extremist crimes, the author also provides examples of judicial and investigation practice.  The author pays attention to the connections between patriotic education of the youth and the people of the Russian Federation and the system of national security guarantees within a state, the article points out the ways to legal solutions of the existing problems in this sphere.  The author also provides an overview of the tendencies regarding patriotic education in the foreign states, and the possibilities of using their positive experience in Russia. The article may be of interest to a wide range of readers, who are interested in the issues of criminal personality, resocialization, crime prevention, legal education of citizens, and participation of citizens in guaranteeing national security of the Russian Federation.

Keywords: patriotic education of citizens, fighting terrorism, fighting extremism, national security, state policy, terrorism, extremism, criminal personality, legal education, fighting crime