Abstract: As it was once stated by the great Russian compatriot Mikhail Vasilievich Lomonosov, the power of Russia shall grow with the Siberia. And his words are often quoted by those, discussing strategy and perspectives of development of the Siberia and the Far East. This is no accident. For several last centuries the Siberia and the Far East have been an important integral part of the Russian statehood, its strategic basis and the source of the natural subsistence resources for the development of the entire state. The break-up of the USSR in 1990s stroke a serious blow upon the current and perspective plans of development of these regions, and on the attitudes and vital values of their residents. For about 15 years these plans were put aside and temporarily forgotten, and the issues of regional development were substituted by guarantees of their survival, subsistence, territorial integrity, protection of natural resources from mass looting, fighting contraband trade and economic crime as a whole. The weakening of the geopolitical and military positions of Russia in the East has also become a source of worry. There was a feeling, that all the work of our ancestors on development of the Siberia and the Far East shall be wasted. There were grounds for such feelings, and these grounds still remain to some extent.

Keywords: international law, international relations, modernization, Siberia, the Far East, the Asian-Pacific region, interests, APEC, stability, conflict.

Abstract: This article is devoted to the evaluation of the current state of the Russian-Indian relations and the changes, which were introduced into them by the visit of the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin in December of 2012. It is noted that in the foreign political sphere the relations between Russia and India are developed in two key formats: as a strategic partnership in support of national interests in the international arena, and as regional centralism, which is aimed to limit the influence of non-regional players, wishing to strengthen their positions in these regions as dominating political forces.

Keywords: political science, politics, international relations, Russia, India, military and technical cooperation, strategic partnership, political stability, conflicts, interests.

Abstract: The Iranian people shall elect the 7th President of Iran on June 14, 2013. The incumbent President Ahmadinejad shall not be able to participate in elections for the 3rd time in a row. The stat is awaiting a new President, whose personality shall have a considerable impact on the further political course of Iran. This time the support of the spiritual leader Xameneyi cannot be viewed as a 100% guarantee for a presidential candidate. What is awaiting Iran in these elections? Shall the US sanctions be able to provoke the mass disturbances? What measures shall President Ahmadinejad take to protect his political heritage? Should we worry about the “Persian Summer of 2013”? The article includes attempts to respond to these questions and to give a type of an “early warning”.

Keywords: political science, international relations, Iran, Ahmadinejad, elections, security, stability, conflict, opposition, the US sanctions.

Abstract: The XXI century became a turning point in the political history of many Latin American states including Ecuador. It was related to the “turn left”, which was the time when the leftist governments came to the political power in a number of the Latin American states. While not departing from the framework of the market economy, the President enlarged the state sector in the national economy, which facilitated the social reforms, which were aimed improve the well-being of the Ecuadorian society.

Keywords: political science, Ecuador, turn left, politics, Latin America, Bolivarian initiative, the USA, the international relations, the interests, the values.

Abstract: The article is devoted to the historical, political and legal factors for the economic integration of the European and American states into the unions, such as the EU, the NAFTA, and the Mercosur. The author takes a retrospective view on the ideas, prerequisites and primary landmarks of the uniting strategies on the European and American continents, analyzes the modern tendencies. Attention is paid to the interactions between the NAFTA the EU, and the Mercosur, as well as with the other results of the uniting strategy in the American continent (such as the ALADI, the ALCA, etc.). The goal of the study is to show the patterns of development of the integration processes in North America and in Europe. The author uses comparative legal method, as well as historical, dialectic methods, and specialized scientific methods. The methodology of study provides a view on the objective and subjective provisions of processes. The overview of the integration processes in Europe and American continent allows showing the patterns of state integration.

Keywords: political science, comparative legal studies, integration, Europe, the American continent, the EU, the NAFTA, the Mercosur.

Abstract: The article is devoted to the study of the key mechanisms of implementation of the regional policy in the conditions of the Russian asymmetrical federal model. The substantiation of the basic provisions for the formation of regional policy was guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the Federal Treaty and a number of constitutional and federal law, the decrees of the President of the Russian Federation, and the resolutions of the Government of the Russian Federation, regulating the relations between the federal center and the constituent subjects of the Russian Federation, and defining the bases for the functioning of the municipal self-government bodies. Currently, federal special purpose programs and special economic zones are the key mechanisms for their implementation.

Keywords: political science, politics, federal relations, federalism, regional policy, federal programs, special economic zones, mechanisms for the implementation, conflicts, state.

Abstract: The article is devoted to the process of formation of the modern party system in Poland. The author analyzes the Parliamentary elections (since 1991 to 2011), and characterizes the key political parties of Poland and their leaders. The author shows the key contradictions among the largest parties on domestic and foreign policy and makes a forecast for the future Parliamentary elections of 2015.

Keywords: political science, Poland, elections, party, Parliament, Tusk, Palikot, Kazcynski, Russia, Germany.

Abstract: This article is devoted to the analysis of the role of the ethnic factor in the Russian and global political processes. The modern ethnical political science has four main approaches to the interpretation of ethnicity and its place within the state political systems. They are primordialism, functionalism, constructivism and structuralism. One of the first to appear in XIX century in Germany was primordialism. This theory was developed by a historian and philosopher J.G. Herder. Within this approach ethnicity is viewed as a genetic givenness, and it is characterized by such features as language, race, territory, religion and culture, that is by the features, which the person possesses based on his origin, and the ethnical groups are formed based on these features.

Keywords: political science, international relations, politics, ethnicity, political system, political process, ethnic and political conflicts, separatism, federalism, security.

Abstract: Terrorism poses a threat to the national security of the Russian Federation and its national interests. That is why abolishing the terrorist threat is one of the key priorities for the domestic and foreign policy of our state. The year 2012 was a complicated period for the strengthening of the national security of our state. The recurrent complications in the North- Caucasian region, the aggravation of the international situation, including the North-African region and the Middle east, a number of heinous terrorist acts in the world, strengthening of the radical movements in the Islam in their totality provided for the background and defined the measures for fighting terrorism in the territory of Russia.

Keywords: political science, national security, political stability, politics, terrorism, conflict, Russia, power, government, national interests.

Abstract: Syria, which is one of the most ancient states in the world and the cradle of our civilization, is now undergoing a hard and bloody time. One might remember a TV report from Syria, which took place about 2 years ago. It was a talk between a TV reporter with a regular Syrian family. The eyes of a woman were full of worry and pain, and she asked “Shall what is now going on in Libya come to us too?” And it did. Or to be more precise, it was brought with support of money and arms of the Saudi and Qatar Sheikhs.

Keywords: political science, Syria, civil war, international relations, international conflicts, politics, Assad, strategy 4GW, information warfare, interests.

Abstract: This article includes an evaluation of the national identity factor in the global policy and international relations. It is noted that national identity facilitates definition of the development vector of a nation in a political space, and the identification differences are able to cause intensive and socially dangerous international conflicts. The co-related development of national self-conscience and the formation of the culture of the particular people is formed within the system of relations with other peoples. At the first stages of the social evolution the relations between the peoples form one of the important factors for the formation and development of national identity and culture. It is through the contact and relations between literally peoples (as groups of humans) that the process of formation of a human being starts.

Keywords: political science, national security, international relations, politics, conflict, identity, nationalism, state, global economy.

Abstract: The article includes analysis of the dependency of the US foreign policy in Afghanistan upon two key factors: national interests and universal values. It is shown that the conflict of interests and values in the US policy in Afghanistan has caused its insufficient stability, balance and lack of adequate response to new threats and challenges. For a long period of time the foreign policy of the USA towards other states was formed based upon two dominating ideological concepts: political realism and political liberalism. Both of those concepts supported and developed the idea of global historical mission of the USA, which was meant to become the resource management center for the entire democratic world. However, they differ considerably in the choice of the political trajectory of the USA towards this goal, as well as in the choice of specific, means, methods and instruments, which are necessary for its achievement.

Keywords: international law, international relations, foreign policy, Afghanistan, Taliban, Pakistan, conflict, values, interests, the USA.

Abstract: The object of this study includes problems of national identity formation in the USA and in Russia. The specific object includes genesis, formation and functioning of the nation in the USA and in Russia. The goal of this study is to analyze the specific features and patterns for the formation of the national identity. According to the goal of this study, one may single out the following specific goals: to view the formation of nation, to uncover the causes and factors, which facilitate its formation; to show specific features of nation-building in the USA and in Russia; to analyze the general patterns, problems and tendencies in the nation-building development in the USA and in Russia.

Keywords: political science, identity, ethnic group, ethnos, nationalism, immigration, state, the Russian Federation, the USA, agenda, genesis.