Review: The subject of this research is the discourse of national identity in Russia and in France. The author examines several aspects of the issue, such as the context of the transition of national identity into the central topic of public debate in both countries (in the 1970s in France, at the turn of the XX and XXI centuries in Russia), as well as the main concepts that constitute the core of the subject of the debate, and specifics of the language used in debates. Special attention is paid to the official discourse - statements and program articles of the leaders of the state. The research methodology is based on social constructivism, the research method is based on comparative analysis of the discourse. This method allowed the author to reveal the dynamics in the content of views on national identity, and to determine the similarities and differences of discourse in both countries. Contrary to the widespread idea of the criterion difference between the French (civil, political) and Russian (cultural and ethnic) understanding of the nation, the study revealed many common threads in the discourse of both countries: the idea of greatness, sovereignty, cultural wealth, glorious past, and the special role of language - and the assertion of the need to protect all this, including by force of arms, in the face of globalization, American political and cultural domination, law quality of the mass-appeal culture, as well as the threats of international terrorism.
 
 

Keywords: “multiethnicity”, citizenship, culture, national identity, nation-state, nation, France, Russia, multiculturalism, discourse

Review: The subject of the research is the policy of the US President D. Trump's administration on the issues relating to conflict situations in Africa. When considering the general approaches of the United States to conflicts on the African continent, special attention is paid to the military, counter-terrorist and peacekeeping aspects of this policy. US efforts to implement this policy are illustrated by the examples of Nigeria, Libya, South Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Western Sahara. For a better understanding of the current situation in these countries, the author offers brief insights into their history. The author focused on the principle of historicism and used the comparative historical method of research, which allowed him to trace the similarities and differences in the approaches of D. Trump and his predecessor B. Obama in Africa. The African policy of President D. Trump's administration has not yet become the subject of special studies of domestic and foreign historians and political scientists. Continuity in the African affairs between B.Obama and D.Trump is not thoroughly studied. This work is based on a wide range of official American sources - statements by the President, documents of the US State Department and the African Command (AFRICOM). It was concluded that the African policy of the United States, as before, is carried out in the context of their hegemonic claims for world leadership, although during the administration of D. Trump the activity of Washington and its financial costs on the African continent have slightly decreased.
 
 

Keywords: Somalia, Southern Sudan, Libya, Nigeria, USA, Terrorism, Settlement, Conflicts, DRC, Western Sahara

Review: The subject of this study is the American strategy to combat the so-called. "Islamic state" during the presidency of D. Trump. Although the United States and its allies managed to achieve significant success over the course of military operations against the so-called “Islamic state”, the resources available to the United States are clearly not sufficient to resolve the crisis in Syria on American terms. Hence the fluctuations in the approaches of American leaders to the issue of the American presence in this Arab country. The study was performed in the framework of the neorealistic paradigm. During the study, the author uses the methodology of comparative and factor analysis. The use of this methodology allowed the author to identify the different and coinciding interests of the leading actors of the Middle East policy, primarily the USA. For the first time, the author was able to show a close correlation between the American Middle East strategy, which boils down to attempts to combine the fight against international terrorism with the forced regime changes of sovereign states, and the gradual formation of the Iranian-Russian-Turkish alliance, which clearly contradicts American plans. The study demonstrates the evolution of the US Middle East strategy during the Trump administration.
 
 

Keywords: the military-political leadership, the Syrian political process, the Russian-Iranian Union, the Islamic state, the anti-Assad opposition, the regime change, anti-ISIS coalition, National security strategy, the Russian factor, the Kurdistan workers ' party

Review: The subject of the study is the multitude of ways to solve African political conflicts through traditional ethical norms and legal procedures. The basics of the traditional systems of ethics are analyzed, in particular, the ethical-normative system of the Bantu-speaking peoples of Southern Africa - the “Ubuntu”, which includes such concepts as humanity, community, solidarity. Special attention is paid to studying the precedents of the use of traditionally African ethical systems for resolving domestic political conflicts in the post-crisis period using the example of Rwanda and the Republic of South Africa that have experienced a crisis at the same time: In Rwanda, after the 1994 genocide, in the Republic of South Africa, after the fall of the apartheid regime in 1994. The use of the comparative historical method and the method of historical reconstruction allowed to identify the key factors of overcoming the conflict after the genocide in Rwanda, nearly impossible to solve through European law, and ways to resolve the crisis in South Africa under the leadership of Nelson Mandela, who established a dialogue with all the races and peoples inhabiting the country. The author concludes that there are precedents that demonstrate the potential of African ethical and regulatory approaches to solving complex conflict situations. In the context of multi-ethnic, multi-religious, interracial interaction, Africa is making attempts at national reconciliation in the context of local conflicts. The seldom-studied approach of using traditional ethics and forms of communication in the process of overcoming conflicts and creating the necessary conditions for a peaceful life is considered. The core principle of the examined approaches lies in addressing the traditional values and social institutions of their people, in the ability to forgive and reconcile as the only way out of stalemate situations. The article uses ideas developed in conjunction with A.N.Moseiko, an African studies researcher.
 
 

Keywords: African ethics, politics, Rwanda, South Africa, apartheid, genocide, conflict, Africa, transit justice, Ubuntu

Review: The subject of this work is the multitude of methods for resolving the domestic conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa using the practices common to pre-industrial societies. This issue is very prominent for the countries of the continent, since along with external and interstate conflicts, intrastate conflicts a major role in the current instability of Africa belongs to conflicts between herders and farmers, conflicts between different ethnic groups, religious conflicts between Muslims and Christians, autochthonous, migrants and refugees, and so on. Currently, attempts to resolve them by the efforts governments or peacekeeping forces are not always successful, while utilizing traditions proves somewhat successful. The author uses a heuristic source-study approach, the comparative historical method, materials from the author's field research, sociological studies data, and data from historiographic analysis. The author's unique contribution is the study of a topic that has not been studied in conflictology and African studies to date. The scientific novelty is based on the first research of the topic of preservation of traditionalism in the modern political structures of African states in the scenarios which involve resolving conflict situations, and the introduction new information into the scientific circulation. The author reaches a conclusion about the growing trend of turning to the traditional experience of the prevention and resolution of intra-state conflicts by African scientists.
 
 

Keywords: ethnology, anthropology, African scholars, customary law, traditions, politics, conflicts, Africa, conflict resolution, traditional values