International and Political Studies

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS IN OUTER SPACE: FROM THE COLD WAR ERA TO FEBRUARY 24, 2022

N. P. Borotkanych — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0300

The article reviews the changing landscape of international relations in the space sphere; examines the history of international cooperation in outer space: from the Cold War era to the beginning of Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine; examines key partnerships and initiatives, the advantages of such cooperation and challenges. The author proves that international relations in the field of space exploration and research are dual in nature. On the one hand, countries form international alliances to implement large-scale space projects, on the other hand, states strive to have independent access to space to ensure national security. The author's periodization of the development of international relations in the space sphere is given: 1) the first decade of space exploration – during this period, international cooperation in outer space was completely missing, but it was during these years that the foundations of the international legislative framework were laid; it is still in force today; 2) since the 70s of the twentieth century, the number of states that explore space has been growing and the first international space organization, the European Space Agency (ESA), is being formed; 3) after the end of the Cold War, US cooperation with the former Soviet republics intensified, which further led to US dependence on third countries in the space sphere; 4) in the early 2000s, the number of participants in space activities increased at the expense of private companies, which became possible due to a technological leap, in particular the miniaturization of space technology and the cheapening of electronics; 5) Russia's war against Ukraine has changed the international landscape of space activities, strengthened public-private partnerships and demonstrated the growing role of satellite technologies in national security issues.

UKRAINIAN MIGRATION TO EUROPE AT THE PERIOD OF THE RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN WAR: POLITICS OF REGULATION

M. I. Milova, H. B. Trushevych — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0300

Russia’s full-scaled invasion to Ukraine on the 24th of February 2022, which is still on, has become a new challenge for a modern world and has caused more problems to regional and global development as well as provoked colossal forced migration flows of Ukrainian citizens. The migration that according to researchers has no analogues and significantly surpasses all the previous ones. A massive influx of refugees from Ukraine added significant problems to migrant’s crisis of Europe, that was which was caused by the previous colossal influx of migrants from the Middle East and Africa, complicating its humanitarian component.

The relevance of the study of these processes is constantly growing and proves that migration is not only a social, political, but also a scientific problem, which requires a significant consolidation of the forces of the scientific community in order to solve the problems caused by these processes. The subject of analysis of this work is the forced migration of Ukrainian citizens and its consequences, provoked precisely by the Russian-Ukrainian war.

The article analyzes the theoretical surveys of Ukrainian researchers in the study of Ukrainian emigration to Europe. Its features are determined in comparison with other types of migration. The problems of linguistic, value-cultural, psychological and social adaptation are outlined on the basis of the analysis of the results of sociological surveys and numerous examples of the return of migrants to Ukraine.

An analysis of multilateral humanitarian assistance to refugees and the main directions of the EU policy regarding the regulation of migration flows from February 2022 to the summer of 2023 was carried out. A large number of documents that formed the normative and legal basis of the EU migration policy in relation to Ukrainian refugees, as well as cooperation with various institutions of Ukraine, were developed. Different aspects of the consequences of forced migration for Ukraine are defined.

GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE COMMUNICATION: THE CONCEPTUAL ASPECT

O. V. Shevchenko — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0300

The article examines the conceptual component of climate communications and emphasizes that in the current conditions of global climate change, climate communications is an integral element of the implementation of climate policy and is defined as a process related to increasing public awareness of global climate changes and the formation of understanding and support climate policy, measures for adaptation and mitigation of the consequences of global climate change at all levels. Theories and concepts that make up the basis of climate communications are considered, in particular, the theory of globalization and globalization of communication, new humanism, sustainable development, ecological culture, climate justice, and climate theory. It is shown that all climate theories can be conditionally divided according to their explanation of the causes of global climate change, in particular, anthropogenic causes, causes independent of human activity and denial of climate change and proposing ways to solve global climate challenges. The definition of “climate change” in the UN’s basic documents shows that the UN recognizes both approaches and agrees that climate change can be caused by both human activities and natural causes. The concept of climate humanism in relation to climate communications is proposed, which combines two key ideas: the need to solve global climate challenges and the importance of humanity’s participation in this process for the protection and well-being of humanity in the context of a changing climate environment. In the author’s opinion, in the context of the concept of climate humanism, climate communications can be considered as its component and a universal tool that unites approaches to the implementation of information and communication campaigns. It is concluded that the presence of many theories and concepts regarding the understanding of the causes and methods of overcoming global climate change has led to a state of uncertainty in modern scientific thought, which should be taken into account when implementing climate communications.

IInd MEDITERREG GRADUATE CONFERENCE FOR MASTER’S STUDENTS AND EARLY STAGE RESEARCHERS

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0300

The scientific conference for master’s students and young researchers studying in the specialty 291 International Relations, Public Communications and Regional Studies was held within the framework of the project 101047919 – MEDITERreg “THE RING OF MEDITERRANEAN: REGIONAL STUDIES”. The Jean Monnet Module (Grant type ERASMUS-JMO-2021 MODULE) is implemented by the Department of International Relations and headed by the chief of the Department Olga Brusylovska. The conference was held online on May 31, 2023. Among the issues discussed at the conference, the analysis of the theory and practice of regionalism in the Mediterranean, with focus on the Greater Middle East, occupied a prominent place.

CITY-ORIENTED POLITICS: SOCIAL MOVEMENTS OF NEW URBANISM AND MUNICIPALITY ON THE WAY TO INNOVATION

B. Ye. Andriiv — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0300

The article discusses the latest trends related to global transformations in the context of the introduction of a new global “place-based politics”. The author draws attention to the fact that due to the technological, demographic and migration processes that lead to large-scale urbanization and the concentration of the Earth’s population in cities, the recognition of the comfort of the city, oriented to the needs of the social and the needs of people of different ages, has become a privileged object of such a global and national policy. It is noted that urbanization and the formation of global cities – metropolises, agglomerations, etc. – leads to excessive concentration of production, uneven global settlement of territories, excessive immigration load on the centres of industrial growth, which in turn causes problems of global social inequality, which is also manifested in the hierarchy cities, and in the internal social hierarchy in cities. The author points out that social movements: New Municipalism and New Urbanism have become global social movements that embody innovations to help solve the above problems. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to determine the main proposals of new urbanism and new municipalism for the implementation of “place-based politics” in the city as a centre of innovation. The article examines the historical features of the development of both movements built on the slogans: “democracy begins where you live” and “right to the city”. The article defines the goals and principles of activity of organizations that are participants in these movements, and also examines the scientific and methodological discourse formed around the development of these movements. In particular, the author presents an interpretation of the “nature” of municipalism, analyzes three models of municipalism, according to Matthew Thompson’s typology. In the conclusions, the author points out that planning ideas and successful projects of New Urbanism promote tools for quality urban planning for the sake of people in the conditions of global reconstruction of urban networks for the purpose of deconcentration and demonopolization of resources and investments. The ideas of New Municipalism promote tools to ensure self-organization at the city level, tools of social solidarity interaction to protect human interests.

STUDY OF REGIONALISM: SHOULD WE WAIT FOR FURTHER EVOLUTION?

O. I. Brusylovska — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0300

As the concepts of "superpower", "satellite", "second world" were levelled, the volume of new concepts increased – "centre of power", "global political dynamics", "multipolar world pole", "dispersion", "regional system", "independent territories". A hierarchy of political actors began to be built in a new way, where regions of different levels (macroregions, mesoregions, subregions) suddenly became the dominant structural units of the global space. This affected the role and place of regionalism. Conventionally, the development of the discipline "Regional Studies" is divided into three waves: "old regionalism" of the Cold War period; "new regionalism" of the 1990s; "comparative regionalism" of the 21st century. The purpose of the presented work is to identify the evolution of the development of regional studies through a qualitative analysis of the leading works that shaped the face of the science. There is also a question about which areas of regionalism research need further development. As a result, it was concluded that today's context of the world order is significantly different from the context of the 1990s. Comparative regionalism is formed by the world order which is characterized by such processes as the war on terror, humanitarian intervention, multi-level world order, periodic financial crises around the world, and the rise of developing states. Scholarly debates focus on various state-non-state interactions, institutions and processes at various interacting levels, ranging from bilateral to regional, interregional and multilateral. If earlier the region was considered mainly as a microregion, then in modern studies we are talking about the macroregional level. In addition, non-state actors and interest groups are now actively involved in regional cooperation. Therefore, future studies will pay more attention to non-state actors of regional relations.

INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE POLITICAL SYSTEM OF UKRAINE: MAIN POINTS OF BIFURCATION

V. A. Haponenko, N. V. Chubur — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0300

The paper aims to consider the consequences of civil protests in the context of the transformation of the democratic political system of Ukraine. Taking Ukraine as an example, the development of the path dependence concept in post-Soviet countries has been suggested in order to overcome negative institutional isomorphism and avoid the hybridity state in the political system. A periodization of institutional dynamics in Ukraine has been proposed, where the large-scale actions of civil disobedience became the bifurcation point.

A comparative analysis of recurring protests of different years made it possible to outline the main features of the turning points of institutional development and in this context to consider current political events. Specific featuresof institutional development include the "from below" initiative, uncontrollability by the political elites, spontaneity. We will also note the increased drama of the unfolding of events, in particular. The use of force by the participants of the mass events and the authorities was also unprecedented. These features have led to both positive changes and negative consequences, which are still evident.

A scientific analysis of changes in the main political institutions has been carried out on the basis of statistical data and the results of sociological surveys. Its results testify to profound shifts in the structure of the party-political spectrum, the nature of public activity, political participation, worldview orientations of Ukrainians, and only superficial changes in state bodies. This trend continues under martial law, which provides grounds for predicting the vectors and trajectory of institutional changes in the current period.

The author’s conclusions about the role of the Revolution of Dignity in the formation and development of democratic political institutions have been made, and further trends in the development of political institutions have been predicted.

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AS A TECHNOLOGY OF THE FOREIGN POLICY OF UKRAINE

O. S. Koptiev — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0300

The article is devoted to consideration of the specifics of public diplomacy in Ukraine, including during the war. This made it possible to single out approaches and main principles that will increase the country’s security and attractiveness on the international stage. By applying a technological approach, the types of development and different approaches to the study of public diplomacy in Ukraine and the world were analyzed, the specifics of public diplomacy in modern Ukraine were characterized, and effective technologies of public diplomacy were determined in the conditions of the transition from two-vector to European integration.

The scientific novelty consists in the review of public diplomacy technologies in the context of solving key challenges in international relations, in particular in the context of geopolitical changes and the full-scale invasion of the occupiers in Ukraine. The effectiveness of public diplomacy and its role in maintaining and improving attitudes towards the country, attracting international support and developing partnership relations have been studied. Thus, the study expands the understanding of public diplomacy as a tool that can be used to positively influence international politics.

The main attention is paid to the study of the tools of public diplomacy, as effective mechanisms for the development of Ukraine’s foreign policy. The conducted research proves the need to strengthen the efforts of all actors of international relations, citizens, opinion leaders and representatives of organizations to improve the image of Ukraine, as well as its economic, social, political and cultural enrichment. It is proposed to create a public institution for cyber security, which will assist law enforcement officers from the Cyber Police and representatives of the Ministry of Digital Policy.

Strategic areas of activity and effective use of public diplomacy in Ukraine during the great war and changes in the vector of development in international relations were formed. The fakes can be used by the authorities to improve the image of the state and its recognition in the international arena.

THE FUTURE OF THE PAST, OR POLICY OF MEMORY OF HUNGARY: BETWEEN NATIONAL AND UNIVERSAL

S. V. Koch — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0300

The memorial strategies of political actors are related to the strategic course chosen by the political factor, the desired historical image of the socio-political community, and the degree of internal diversity of memory vectors in the context of multicomponent societies. The largest wave of EU enlargement in 2004 not only included Eastern European countries in the Union but also led to radical changes in the position of ensuring pan-European unity when it came to taking into account the historical past of the new members. The EU's post-World War II memory policy framework required new commemorative practices and emphasis to prevent memorial conflicts. A condition for ensuring internal unity within the EU is the gradual weakening of internal symbolic boundaries, especially national ones. This is what has become the most difficult for Eastern European nation- states, which have found themselves in a situation of two different vectors: on the one hand, they continue to develop modern-type national doctrines when the nation defines itself within the historical lands, where national identities are being shaped on the basis of the ethnopolitical interests of the titular nations and their historical narratives; on the other hand, pan-European postmodern processes involve the recognition of universal values and common strategies. An example of an ambivalent memorial policy is Hungary, which is trying to solve various socio-political problems with the help of commemorative practices: remaining in the EU supranational space and constructing a nationally oriented memorial strategy. Finding a balance between these vectors is seen as a condition for the effective development of the national community. Thus, the purpose of this article is to determine the relationship between the new format of Hungary's national doctrine and the commemorative political technologies implemented by the state. The memory policy in Hungary is examined in the context of the changing role of commemoration in global politics and the peculiarities of the formation of the institutional environment of memory policy are identified. The author concludes that Hungary's contemporary memorial policy is developing in the format of organizing a socio-political space for dialogue between the state and related diasporas abroad.

RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN IN ROMANIA: QUO VADIS, KREMLIN?

I. V. Maksymenko — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0300

Disinformation and propaganda are recognized as an equal tool of Russia’s foreign policy and hybrid wars as other methods of coercion and intimidation. Ukraine was one of the main objects for the implementation of this method of the Kremlin’s foreign policy. At the same time, other Central and Eastern European states also are feeling informational pressure due to the spread of disinformation and narratives that were supposed to justify the actions of the Russian state and its aggression against individual states. Romania, which borders Ukraine and became a neighbor of the Russian Federation after the illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, became one of the important objects of the Kremlin’s disinformation and propaganda. The article is devoted to the study of the peculiarities of the Russian disinformation campaign in Romania, which openly demonstrates its anti-Russian sentiments. The existing discourse on the narratives and misinformation of the Kremlin in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe emphasizes that in recent years, Russia has begun to change approaches in each country, using the peculiarities of the regional context and internal situation to achieve its own goals. The purpose of the article is to identify the main messages distributed by Russian resources in the Romanian information space in order to determine the exact goals pursued by the Kremlin in this country. The application of a combination of qualitative methodology methods, such as the case study method, content analysis of documents and scientific works, as well as discourse analysis of information resources, allows us to provide answers to the following search tasks: to reveal the peculiarities of the perception of Russia in Romania; identify the main sources of dissemination of pro Russian theses and information in the Romanian media; to analyze the narratives cultivated in the Romanian information space, with an interpretation of their real tasks and an assessment to what extent they can influence public opinion. The conclusions summarize the results of the study, indicating which are the direct and indirect Kremlin’s goals by spreading certain messages and narratives.

THE CULTURAL DIRECTION OF GERMANY’S SOFT POWER IN UKRAINE: THE INSTITUTIONAL DIMENSION

Yu. P. Mateleshko — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0300

The article explores the cultural activities of German non-governmental institutions (organizations) in Ukraine during the period of independence through the prism of J. Nye's soft power concept. The goals, priorities and results of this activity are analyzed. The work uses a broad understanding of culture, which includes education, science, art, literature, worldview, values, etc. The source base of the research includes materials from the web pages of German institutions and their Ukrainian offices, as well as legislative acts, analytical reports, global ratings and the results of sociological surveys. The institutional basis of German cultural soft power in Ukraine is non-governmental organizations, mainly funded from the federal budget of Germany. These include the Goethe Institute, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Alexander Humboldt Foundation and the Deutsche Welle (DW). These institutions draw on resources such as the German language and culture, the federal system of education and science, and liberal democratic values. Their activities in Ukraine are carried out through various forms of contacts with target audiences and generally meet the goals of spreading German (as well as European) culture in its broadest sense. At the same time, each organization has its own priorities: popularization of the German language and culture (Goethe Institute), development of academic exchanges (DAAD), cooperation in the field of science (Humboldt Foundation), promotion of liberal democratic views (DW). After February 24, 2022, representatives of these institutions condemned Russian aggression and adjusted their activities in accordance with the conditions and needs of wartime. The main results of the German organizations activities are the formation of Germany's positive image and the spread of European cultural and political values among the target population groups of Ukraine (mainly young people).

THE EVOLUTION OF GEOPOLITICAL VALUES AND ORIENTATIONS OF UKRAINIANS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE WAR

O. V. Novakova, M. A. Ostapenko — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0300

The article analyzes of the dynamics of the processes of geopolitical and civilizational self-identification of Ukrainians, the impact on the perception of the consciousness of citizens of the place and role of Ukraine in the world, as well as on the attitudes to Western institutions and values. Empirical indicators of the state of society, trends in its development, the search for mechanisms to preserve and strengthen the unity of Ukrainians, particularly in the context of their geopolitical orientations, are monitored. The main attention is paid to the study of qualitative and quantitative changes in the attitude of Ukrainians to the processes of European integration, Ukraine's accession to NATO, the relationship between modernization reforms of Ukrainian society and the pace of Euro-Atlantic integration processes, cultural and civilizational development guidelines. The focus is on the problem of consolidating Ukrainian civil society, using its potential for effective reconstruction and further successful development of the country. It was determined that the strengthening of the Euro-Atlantic orientation of Ukrainians became an additional source of Ukraine's power, as citizens of Western geopolitical identification demonstrated the greatest determination in protecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of their country. The study showed the almost complete disappearance of the complexes «inferiority» and «Soviet nostalgia», the actualization of socio-political identity and the understanding of Ukraine's international subjectivity in the context of Euro-Atlantic integration. Preservation and maintenance of a high level of consolidation of society requires responsible political institutions and leaders capable of implementing an effective state policy of restoring and reforming society, protecting and supporting the sovereignty of Ukraine in the international arena.

COLLISION TRENDS IN THE BILATERAL RELATIONS OF EGYPT AND ETHIOPIA DURING THE LAST DECADE

D. K. Poble, A. N. Mindelis — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0300

The fluctuations in Egypt’s and Ethiopia's foreign policies, in general, and in relation to a non consumptive hydropower project being built by Ethiopia on the Nile, in particular, go back centuries. The purpose of this article is to study the collision tendencies of bilateral relations between Egypt and Ethiopia in the last decade. The article indicates a certain degree of uniqueness due to its actuality from a practical point of view, and, despite the availability of numerous research works and publications on the subject written by Ukrainian-, US-, and British-based researchers of Ethiopian and Egyptian origin, and official documents of the concerned countries, it reveals a certain scientific demand. The inter-disciplinary nature and subject of the research resulted in the use of two basic research methods, such as case study and event analysis, supported fragmentarily by historical, functional, geopolitical, and empirical methods. The two methods mentioned allowed for reviewing the quantitative and qualitative peculiarities of the problem. The application of the historical method gave a reference to the initial source of a legal settlement in the last century; the use of the functional method determined the level of development of relations between Egypt and Ethiopia; the use of the geopolitical method made it possible to determine the situation and the involvement of main actors in the region during the last decade; and the empirical component is presented in the form of statistical, sociological, financial, and economic data, as well as archival materials. A cautious prognosis was added with the purpose of forecasting the further outcome of the conflict around the waters of the Nile.

NON-PROLIFERATION ISSUE IN THE NUCLEAR POLICY OF THE USA IN THE 21ST CENTURY: ANALYSIS OF BASIC DOCUMENTS

M. V. Skrypnyk — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0300

The article is devoted to the study of the evolution of the nuclear policy of the United States of America in the field of non-proliferation in the XXI century. It is noted that the USA, as one of the first nuclear powers, pays considerable attention to this issue in order to maintain the stability of the non-proliferation regime and international security. Based on the methodology of content analysis and qualitative methodology, the principles, priorities, and primary methods of the strategy of the administration of the White House regarding countering nuclear proliferation are determined on the basis of the fundamental documents of the USA, speeches of officials, and researchers. Therefore, the purpose of the article is to study the basic elements of the US nuclear non-proliferation policy and assess how successful this policy is considered to be, in particular, based on the examples of Iran and North Korea. In order to achieve this goal, the study gradually reveals changes in the security environment in the context of the threat of proliferation of nuclear weapons and means of delivery, and how this affects the policies of the US presidents’ administrations. Through the prism of such documents as the Nuclear Policy Review and the National Security Strategy of the United States, the main threats are defined, and therefore the priorities and concepts that form the general strategy of Washington to counter the proliferation of WMD. The article shows that in the XXI century, among the main threats to both the United States, its allies and partners, as well as the non-proliferation regime in general, attention is significantly focused on the problems associated with the existence and development of nuclear and missile programs of such states as Iran and North Korea. Therefore, the author analyses how official Washington elaborates a strategy towards the nuclear weapons proliferation problem, how the approaches of different administrations to counter these threats are changing, and which methods and approaches were used. In order to understand, how successful the strategy of individual administrations of US presidents was, the assessments of leading researchers and their arguments are studied. The conclusions summarize the results of the conducted research and reveal the author’s vision of the problem.

TERRITORIAL POLICY OF THE EU STATES: TARGETS, TOOLS, ACHIEVEMENTS

Yu. V. Uzun — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0300

The article presents the process of formation and development of the territorial policy of the European Union and its Member States. The author defines the goals and logic of territorial and political transformation of national territorial and political systems in the context of glocalisation – macro-regional integration of national entities in Europe, where regions are proclaimed the main beneficiary of reforms, and place is proclaimed the topos, the basis of the political process. Place-based politics, development of self-government systems, decentralisation reforms, promotion of local and regional autonomy and systemic asymmetry, where status is determined by the scope of functional responsibilities, are considered as processes of de(re)construction of a new model of polycentric governance and political interaction in the context of formation of an effective supranational political space of the EU. The author examines the peculiarities of the transformation of systemic relations in the EU member states, including the relations between metropolises and non-European remote territories (on the example of France and the Netherlands), and the relations between the supranational centre of the EU and these remote territories of the EU states, which have the specifics of asymmetric involvement in the territorial and political processes of the EU. The author notes that the development of the EU political space is ahead of the process of transformation of the territorial morphology, which is manifested in the expansion of political participation rights at the supranational level and the preservation of restrictions at the national level. The paper notes that the EU’s spatial development strategy is formed on the basis of an institutional compromise between different levels of political decision-making in a multi-level and polycentric system of territorial and political relations and is provided by a set of instruments. This complex is formed by: the policy of vertical and horizontal cooperation; multilevel and polycentric governance; practices of regional and autonomy; asymmetry of statuses and functional roles; 4D decentralisation instruments; standardisation and measurement (indexation) of standards; instruments of consociative democracy, which provide for “inclusion policy”, “effective citizenship”, “mobile political participation” in the context of deepening integration, increasing mobility, and changing the functional significance of the institution of citizenship.

THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE AND LANGUAGE PRACTICES IN THE “EVERYDAY NATIONALISM”

O. V. Dyachenko — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0300

In 1995, M. Billig’s “Banal Nationalism” was published for the first time. This pioneering work initiated a new way of studying “nation” and “nationalism”. Somewhat later, the concept of “Banal nationalism” was clarified and supplemented by the concept of “Everyday Nationality”, that together compose “Everyday Nationalism’s” research.

The study, which is directly based on M. Billig’s “Banal nationalism”, examines how elites mobilize elite (state) symbols, nationalist discourses, and other material and immaterial elements that form the usual landscape and semiosphere of the territory. Instead of this, “Everyday Nationhood” try to show, how people reinterpret elite symbols and nationalist discourses or create their own versions of nationhood enacted as everyday practices.

Actually, among the elements that serve as a daily reminder of people’s place in the “world of nations” are language and language practices, as well as small deictic words (“domestic policy” / “foreign policy”, “us” / “them”, “here” / “there”, etc.), which are used by mass media and other services that we read, listen, watch, etc. Finally, ideas, that seem banal to us, turn out to be ideological constructs of nationalism.

The idea of “language” should also be considered a historical construct of nationalism. The concept of “language”, at least in the sense that it seems obvious to “us”, is an “invented permanency” created in the era of the nation-state. Language does not create nationalism as nationalism creates language; or, rather, nationalism creates “our” common view, that there are “natural” and indisputable things called “languages” we speak.

FACTORS THAT DETERMINE THE SPECIFICS OF FORMING THE POLITICAL CONSCIOUSNESS OF MILITARY PERSONNEL

L. I. Mazurenko — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0300

The article examines the main factors that determine the specifics of the formation of the political consciousness of military personnel. It is proved that the political consciousness of military personnel is one of the main components of forms of public consciousness, which, as a rule, arises together with the emergence of statehood and political power and is the most general category that characterizes the subjective side of politics as a whole. The stages of formation of political consciousness of military personnel are defined: as obtaining socio-political knowledge in the process of critical understanding of political reality, gradual rationalization of sensory representations, generalization of available information about the political life of society; transformation of acquired knowledge into beliefs, which occurs in the process of socio-political practice; determination based on political beliefs and analysis of one's own experience of the political orientation of the subject, which largely determines political behavior.

The factors that determine the specifics of the formation of political consciousness in military personnel are identified and systematized. First of all, an important component of political consciousness is such a moral and ethical category as "defense of the Fatherland"; the next factor is the status of military personnel; the specifics of military labor; high requirements for the professional status of military personnel in combination with the regulated nature of their work; the isolation of the social and professional group of military personnel; material factors; mass media; the desire to obtain information.

It is proved that a serviceman is a citizen of his country, a member of a military collective, so he is more or less involved in socio-political activities: participation in elections, in the discussion of the most important documents of the state, personnel fees, etc. This is an important area of military service, where the process of forming the political consciousness of military personnel, especially his socio-political qualities, takes place.

EASTERN EUROPE THROUGH POSTCOLONIAL PRISM: ANALYSIS OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

A. V. Poliakov — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0300

The article examines the application of postcolonial theory to the analysis of the political transformations in post-communist countries in Eastern Europe. The question of the relevance of the application has become particularly important after the Russian full scale invasion of Ukraine. The question of the relevance of the application has become particularly important after the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine. There is an obvious contradiction between the wide-spreading usages of the terms colonialism in the public discourse to characterize the essence of Russian aggressive policy and the near absence of scientific interpretation of this dramatic conflict from the postcolonial researchers. In order to investigate the reasons for the situation, the article raises the question about “double silence” – mutual ignoring by both postcolonial researchers of the Eastern European region and researchers of post-communist transformations of the colonial experience of Eastern European countries. We used a content analysis of the post-colonial scientific for the period from 2000 to obtain data on the number of publications about Eastern Europe. The content analysis proves the idea of the marginal character of Eastern European research within the framework of postcolonial theory and shows the complete absence of scientific interpretation of the Russian-Ukrainian war from a postcolonial perspective. The article considers the main reasons for this situation: the low level of interest in the region of Eastern Europe from Western scholars; the Marxist views of many researchers, which exclude the possibility of identifying colonialism not only with the capitalist states of the West but also with the socialist USSR; the dominance of the Russian-centric discourse in the scientific community. At the same time, examples of the combination of postcolonial theory and transitology to the analysis of social and political transformations in the region of Eastern Europe are given.

THE WORLD-SYSTEM DYNAMICS AND THE REALITIES OF OUR TIME

V. V. Popkov, Fuad Hamid — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0300

The article analyzes the main provisions of the world-system theory from the point of view of its applicability to the consideration of the global situation surrounding the Russian-Ukrainian war. Also, the authors apply the methodology of world system analysis when studying the factor of geopolitical hegemony and the possible change of hegemon in the first half of the 21st century. In the context of the analysis of modern geopolitical conflicts, is considered I. Wallerstein’s hypothesis about a series of so-called “thirty-year wars” as immediate “drivers” of the change of hegemon and the world order, established by him. The article updates such concepts as “cycles of hegemony”, the overlap of “cyclical rhythms” and “century trends”, the correlation between “Kondratiev’s cycles” and “cycles of hegemony”, the ascending and descending cycles of “century trends”, etc. The analysis of the I. Wallerstein ideas is supplemented by the analysis of the views of F. Brodel, J. Modelsky, U. Thompson, J. Arrigy, T. Hopkins, and others. The authors conclude that predicting the development of the new world order is a difficult task and that it is still difficult to assess whether this new world order will be “better” or “worse” than the existing one. To explain this, the authors point to the unnamed nature of the epic struggle between “Good and Evil” and the physical process of “mutual resistance and mutual displacement of forces”. In this struggle, according to the authors, the winner is not the “kindest” but the “most effective”. The authors call February 24, 2022, the signal for the beginning of the great redistribution. This date became the starting point in the battle for global domination of any of the world systems without a guaranteed outcome. The authors pray for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

POLITICAL IMAGE OF UKRAINE: ANALYSIS OF FAKE INSTRUMENTATION IN HYBRID WARFARE (BASED ON GREEK MASS MEDIA MATERIALS)

O. V. Snigovska, A. V. Malakhiti, N. V. Zakharchuk — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0300

This article examines the processes of transforming the political image of Ukraine against the backdrop of the armed conflict with Russia. All the information used in this study has been selected from contemporary Greek mass media, scientific, and expert-analytical works from 2014 to 2023. The relevance of this research is based on the assertion that mass media serves as a tool in conducting hybrid warfare, either destroying or weakening the authority of a particular state, creating a negative image of political institutions or politicians, thereby causing social and economic tension and subsequent societal fragmentation. The aim of the article is to investigate the toolkit for creating and promoting fakes in Greek media as an element of hybrid warfare in the context of highlighting the peculiarities of Ukraine’s political image perception during the military aggression from the Russian Federation. The following methods were employed in the preparation of this article: analysis, synthesis, abstraction, cultural and systemic methods. This combination of methodological tools ensured the integrity of the study in elucidating the role and place of fakes in the context of conducting hybrid warfare. The authors provide numerous examples of political narratives and pro-Russian propaganda employed to erode the trust of the Greek population in Ukrainian politicians and ordinary citizens, fabricating a significant amount of false information in Greek mass media, as well as in scientific and expert-analytical works. The researchers attempted to reveal the ambivalence of societal perception regarding Ukraine’s position in the European integration processes and to identify the events and decisions of the Ukrainian authorities that contributed to the negative imaging of Ukraine in Greece. To achieve the stated objective, the authors of the article addressed the following tasks: delineating the stereotypical perception of Ukraine’s political image from the pre-war period to the active phase of the armed conflict, elucidating the binarity of image content, and identifying image characteristics against the backdrop of military aggression from Russia.