The article is focused upon the evolution of the Post-Soviet space during the period after the USSR dissolution. The author analyses the definition itself as well as the relevancy of its application in the studying of the former Soviet Union area. A special attention is paid to the interconnection between the foreign policy and the geopolitical processes in this mega-region with the particularities of the nation-building in the newly-independent countries established in 1991.

The article deals with the role of the Lithuanian elite in the choice of policy priorities of the republic after the exit from the USSR. Using specific examples, the author analyzes the main objectives associated with the entry into the EU and NATO which where actively promoted by the Lithuanian power groups. The possible risks in connection with the escalation of the situation in the Baltic region are examined.

The emergency caused by the arrival of thousands of asylum-seekers has highlighted the difficulty of the European countries in devising a common strategy to deal with the problem. Measures have been taken to maintain public order without focusing on how to achieve the integration of the refugees. This has created tensions between the natives and the foreigners. The analysis of the data shows that long-term policies could be introduced and that the phenomenon of migration can and should be dealt with without demagogue leaning. Italy, one of the countries that have tackled the issue of migration the most, is at the forefront to call for the participation of all European countries in dealing with the problem. Many proposals have been put forward by its politicians and by the Italy’s civil society.

The article is about the complex social and political problems of modern Turkey - the contradiction between the Gulen movement Hizmet and the government of Erdogan. The paper is based on the documents brought forward for academic attention for the first time - the materials of trials, the Acts of the Public Prosecutor office, biographical monographs, articles and also the results of the field studies conducted by the author on the spot. The author describes the origin and the development of the intricate relations between the Hizmet movement headed by Gulen and the governmental authorities right up to the attempt of the 2016coup followed by the repressions of the government. The author comes to the conclusion that the conflict is far from being solved and might lead to further aggravation of the political situation in the country.

This article is devoted to the development prospects in the US-Cuban relations under D. Trump’s presidency, taking into account his election campaign. The author makes an attempt to predict the actions of the new President’s administration concerning Cuba, analyzing such factors as the powers of the US President, public opinion and the influence of expert analytical centers.

The article is devoted to the analysis of international cooperation of Canada at the turn of the 20^th - 21^st centuries within the context of the evolution of international relations in the era of globalization. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the foreign policy of this country after the Second World War, as well as to the conclusion of the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement and the North American Free Trade Agreement.

China’s economic modernization has coincided with the process of globalization, the information revolution and the increasing flow of international migration, thus providing new opportunities and creating new challenges for China’s authoritarian government. The outdated migration system of the country has become an obstacle to the dissemination of its “soft” influence abroad. In these circumstances, the Chinese authorities decided to reform the immigration system in order to attract highly qualified specialists.

The article considers the issues of the improvement of legal regulation of foreign economic activities in Russia. Given the complex and multifaceted nature of foreign trade activities, the author focuses on the improvement of the institutional structure of foreign economic activity regulation, paying special attention to the necessity to ensure mutual consistency of the constituent parts and to look up to the end results. The paper discusses the recently adopted normative acts and the conceptual and policy documents with the analysis of their implementation in the certain types of foreign economic activity.

The article is written within the constructivist approach and focuses on the perception of Gazprom in Western academic and expert community as a source of threats to the EU’s energy security. The review of works by European and American researchers, published from 2009 to 2015, shows that the list of perceived threats is significantly wider than the one usually mentioned by Russian authors. As a result a gap arises between the concerns that are expressed by Western academic and expert community, and the explanatory model that is suggested in Russian works. Described differences require, firstly, greater attention to carrying out explanatory work on the corporate level and, secondly, resolution of the dilemma of using state-owned companies as a policy tool on the state level.

The author traces the origin of the phrase «Manifest Destiny» and the perception of the concept by the American senators and by some periodicals in the context of the visit to the United States in 1851-1852of Louis Kossuth, the leader of the Hungarian national movement. The image of the Manifest Destiny, in the representation of American contemporaries, reflected their party, political and sectional preferences, their racial prejudices. At that time, the principle of armed intervention in the affairs of Europe and the symbolic construct of the “Manifest Destiny” itself became to be deployed, in the imagination of the Democratic advocates of “Young America”, as a means of widening the space of revolution.

The roots of the diplomatic relations between the states on the Korean peninsula and the “Middle Kingdom” date back to the first centuries A.D. China was considered as a “civilized” state that should serve as an example of morality and righteousness. On the diplomatic level these circumstances formed the concept of the sadae - “to serve the great”. The article focuses on the duality of the socio-cultural relations between the Chosŏn dynasty (1392-1910) and the Qing dynasty (1644-1912). Even though Chosŏn agreed to the fact that the Qing dynasty would be a new superior, the Korean kings still cultivated in the inner politics of the country the loyalty towards their previous superior, the Ming dynasty (1368-1644).

After the collapse of the Soviet Union there arises in the Russian society a kind of “ideological vacuum”, which is due to the lack of some universal alternatives to the destroyed Communist ideology. It is only in recent years that the state authorities endeavor efforts to create anew ideological construct, based on the conservative ideas of patriotism and spirituality. It is worth noting that the way of creating some new ideology is fragmented, represented by a set of laws and programs, and thus has a strong liberal opposition. The modern stage of new ideology formation is of special importance since the development of common “Russian nation law” has been included in its political agenda.

The author considers the question whether it is relevant to employ the methodology of the historical memory theory to carry out research on the dissident movement in the USSR of the 1960s-1980s. The paper dwells upon the main theoretical approaches of the historical memory studies. It also analyzes the scientific assessment of the perspectives aimed at studying memory and history of the dissident movement in the USSR of the 1960s - 1980s from the standpoint of the historical memory theory.