Russia and Political Order in a Changing World: Values, Institutions, and Prospects

The most promising strategies for the development of political science and the theory of international relations are considered. Effective institutions of both national and global governance, designed to establish and effectively maintain the norms of collective action are in demand under the conditions of strategic instability. Indisputable priority, in terms of international law, representativeness, institutional regulation, political mission, and its functional role, remains, according to the author, with the UN. New structures that are actively being formed along with traditional international organizations under the dominant influence of rising powers are being called upon to play a new significant role. Contrary to popular belief, the influence of international institutions is not associated with a reduction in the role of the nation state. The author believes that the idea of a primary threat from the so-called excessively “tough” states is not flawless: a kind of “conceptual rehabilitation” of states consistent in terms of efficiency and with a stable central government is now overdue. In the context of global turbulence, it is not “tough” but, rather, “fragile” (failed) states that pose the greatest danger. The regional dimension of modern political processes considered shows that the vector of globalization is evidently blurring in the course of massively increasing regionalization in its various manifestations, including macroregionalization and globalization. A separate challenge and, at the same time, a new horizon of opportunities for political science, political governance, and international relations are the processes of comprehensive digitalization, including the use of Big Data, artificial intelligence, and other cutting-edge technologies in political analytics. This actualizes Russia’s efforts to form digital sovereignty. It is difficult to overestimate the role of historical consciousness: it is historical experience that forms the coordinate system for assessing current events and substantiating development forecasts. The natural driver of this process is the universities, which, in cooperation with local and regional communities, form the vectors of sociocultural activity and responsibility.