Contents

Theory

Ilya I. Ilyin and Arkadi D. Ursul Evolutionary Approach to Global Research and Education: Theoretical and Methodological Issues Original text and References

The article presents an evolutionary approach to Globalistics which will study global processes and systems, primarily, globalization and global problems as regards to their development and relation to and individual and society. The main subject of Evolutionary Globalistics is global development as an evolution of global processes and systems. The concept of Evolutionary Globalistics is considered within the context of the universal (global) evolutionism and possible transition to the sustainable development, and also formation of various stages of noosphere. Education is likely to undergo transformations caused by the evolutionary changes of the whole civilization and interaction between society and nature. There will appear an evolutionary range of global models of education processes and systems, starting from the currently existing experimental options of global education, then education for the global process of sustainable development, and also formation of both noospheric education, and ‘global and evolutionary’ forms of education.

Gregory Vasilesku Methodological Aspects of Global Studies Original text and References

The present article discusses some general issues connected with the definition of Global Studies, its subject, status, terminology, main directions and problems of this field. The author's position concerning a number of fundamental issues is formulated, namely: what is Global Studies; whether this branch is a science; what is its status; what place Global Studies hold in the system of modern sciences; whether Global Studies belong to political sciences, sciences about the international relations or to philosophical disciplines.

Globalization Processes

Roland Robertson The ‘Return’ of Religion and Conflict Situation of the World Order Original text and References

The main issue of this article concerns the following issue: how the religion in recent years has become the major subject of the world politics and international relations, not least because the religion has appeared in the center of some dangerous world global conflicts. It is proved that modern global history which developed in the context of disputable discussion on globalization gives us the chance to understand on the one hand how the subject of religion has been ignored in the world politics studies, and on the other how while studying religion in particular its sociological form the international relations have also been neglected in view of its constant and inappropriate concern of secularization. So both parts of the equation ignore each other in many respects. It is characteristic for the structure of academic disciplines, in particular in the Western world.

Intellectual Capital as the Main Factor of Economic Development (Interview with Mikhail A. Eskindarov) Original text and References

Various directions of human activity have become more closely connected in the modern global world. It is well shown by the recent world crisis which having started in the financial and economic spheres spread to social, political and other spheres of public life very quickly, having affected not only material, but also spiritual foundations of public life: culture, science, education. To promote a better understanding of complex nature of the problems of this subject the editorial board of the journal ‘Age of Globalization’ appealed to competent experts to express their opinion on this point.

The Future is Unpredictable, but Expected (Interview with Igor V. Bestuzhev-Lada) Original text and References

Interview with the famous Russian futurologist, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Igor V. Bestuzhev-Lada.

Global Problems

Tom Rockmore Social Contradictions, Globalization and Events 9/11 Original text and References

This paper will focus on the basic social contradiction, due to the deep, often overlooked conflict between capitalism, the main motor of the main part of the world, which can be represented as a so-called economic blockhead and an influential form of Islam, which I will call ‘Islamic fundamentalism’ applying the Protestant term of ‘religious fundamentalism’. I believe that this contradiction, which results from unfettered expansion of increasingly globalized economic capitalism, lies at the root of the 9/11 events.

Patrick Taran Globalization and Labor Migration: The Need of Policy Based on Human Rights Original text and References

Migration has always been the most important component of economic development and social progress in many countries. Labor migration becomes one of the major resources of the regional integration where regulation of labor migration is conducted at the region-wide level since only such large integration unions using advantages of merger of the markets, resource bases and labor potentials can withstand in the conditions of the growing competition of the globalized world. However, if migration is not regulated by the adequate laws and rules, it poses a danger to human rights violation of people participating in it and social tension. Today discussion about migration represents a contradiction between economic logic of globalization, on the one hand, and the moral values presented by the concept of human rights, on the other. There are often diametrically opposed views on the problems of protecting rights of the migrants in view of these disagreements, especially of those who have no legal status, and insurance of safety and social stability if foreign citizens are under protection of the national legislation. In the reality of daily life this contradiction focuses on the problem of migration as a dominant theme of discussion about the relationship of labor and capital, the distribution of income from economic activity, about the regulation of working conditions and life and how foreign workers and civil society can self-organize to formulate and protect the rights clearly.

Olga N. Tinyanova National Sovereignty and Frontiers during Globalization Era Original text and References

The article represents the critical analysis of the concept of ‘political globalization’ used by geopolitical hegemon to remove the principles of national sovereignty, national interests, balance of forces, and also the category ‘expansion’. A peculiar role of the state as the main subject of international relations and a guarantor of the world system variety is proved, and also a role of the state line as a measure of real sovereignty in the conditions of the crisis of the Westphalian system created by information and economic globalization. Some aspects of the general-purpose bases of making border policy of the state during the post-Westphalian era are considered.

World Crisis

Vasila Gadzhieva Global Crisis: Reasons, Directions, Solutions Original text and References

The scientific validity of the ideological foundations of globalization is considered in the article as the prime condition of development of globalization in the direction of formation of the dynamic global system. The article explores reasons of the crisis observed in three subsystems nowadays: political, legal and economic. The author introduces the thesis that the main problem consists in the system of norms and basic values of global system. Basic principles of the corresponding activity in solution of the problem are also discussed.

Nature, Society, Man

Yuri F. Karyakin Do Not Be Late! (One Premise – Infinity of Consequences) Original text and References

The outstanding Russian thinker, philosopher, literary scholar, publicist, and politician Yury Fedorovich Karyakin marks the 80th anniversary. To this remarkable date we publish the philosopher's article written in the last century, but which has not lost its significance nowadays.

Marek Grubets The Backgrounds of the Cross-Cultural Dialogue on the Human Rights Original text and References

The attention is paid to human rights as to a possible consensus between cultures within the intellectual dialogue in this article. The author seeks to contribute to intellectual overcoming of clash of civilizations and searches for the ways to overcome imposing of human rights on other cultures. It is shown that the method of the cross-cultural affirming of human rights without particular aspects of separate cultures and civilizations causes the resistance to humiliation and abuse among people. The first part of the article is devoted to a short review of the range of problems of the discussion and dialogue, the second one deals with cross-cultural and intercivilization nature of this discussion, in the third one human rights are considered on the basis of the above-mentioned facts, and the last, final part concerns legal documents on human rights.

Russia in the Global World

Boris M. Smitienko Russia and Ideas of the United Europe Original text and References

The ideas of united Europe emerged long ago, at the beginning of the 16thcentury. Later many outstanding thinkers, scientists, philosophers, politicians, and writers developed them in various directions. In real practice Europe has never been united either ethnically, or politically. The formation of a common European educational space assumes not unification, but coordination, mutual enrichment of national education systems and educational cultures with preservation of the national identity and civilization distinctions. The role of Russia in this process is very significant. Being the largest Eurasian country Russia has significant geopolitical and geo-economic advantages and objectively should develop a multi-vector foreign policy.

Sergey A. Markov New Stage of Russian Strategy in the Caucasus in Response to Acts of Terrorism Original text and References

In the article the author analyzes modern Russian policy in the Caucasus. It is shown that today Islamic terrorist organizations are the main political force fighting against Russia. They use different resources: staffing, financial, ideological and political. The youth of the Caucasian Muslim republics is the main social group which is of interest for the terrorist networks in terms of staffing. Islamism has its own ideology distinguishing it from separatism with different functioning mechanisms, regions of distribution, participants and sympathizing. Policy had also to be changed respectively. During a pause in the Caucasian policy the enemy represented by radical Islamism managed to become stronger organizationally, financially and ideologically, and also began a new round of the armed stand-off with Russia. Now, when the novelty of the problem became clearer, qualitatively new Russian policy is rapidly formed in the Caucasus.

Igor I. Kalnoy What Heritage We Abjure as a Result of the Loss of Historical Memory Original text and References

The article is devoted to the problem which explodes the myth about identity of Russia and the Soviet Union through social and philosophical analysis of formation and development of Russia, through its dialectics of objective conditions and subjective factor. The abolishment of this myth can be the first step on the way of establishment of good neighborly relations between Europe, Asia and Russia.

Sergey A. Denisov Backsliding of ‘the Third Wave’ of Democratization in the World Original text and References

Today we can observe the signs of weakening of ‘the third wave’ of democracy, and the beginning of the process of its throwback. We can see this democratic backsliding not only in Russia, but also in other countries of the world. This article is devoted to generalization of the collected facts and the analysis of the reasons of backsliding of ‘the third wave’ of democracy. Using materialistic methodology the author shows that the crash of totalitarian systems known in history as socialism was connected with their economic crisis. The considerable part of authoritarian regimes of the world is based upon the armed forces. Refusal of further development of democracy in a number of countries is caused not only by economic strengthening of bureaucracy. In many countries freedom brought instability, separatism and distribution of terrorism. The author associates progress towards democracy with processes of liberalization of economy, and draws a conclusion that authoritarianism is based on the state paternalism and accompanying poverty. It can be defeated only by means of policy of social liberalism providing involvement of the most part of population in labor and business activity and supporting that part of population which cannot carry out these functions.

Events and Comments

Alexey I. Andreev International Scientific Conference ‘Urgent Problems of Global Research’ Original text and References