No 6 (2025)

The article explores such issues as the place of traditional values in the modern political and ideological discourse in Russia, some questions about the role of traditional values in the context of ongoing geopolitical transformations, and the relationship between relying on traditional values and the formation of Russian identity and the consolidation of Russian society. The role and place of traditional values in the state policy of the Russian Federation is also explored and how they can be combined with modernization and innovation is examined.

The social nature of postmodern culture including the causes and consequences of its formation and the place of this phenomenon in the historical process are studied. Such an analysis is of external essence to its subject matter. The Marxist concept of the social origins of postmodern culture theoretically removes alternative concepts to it and considers postmodernity as a manifestation of the evolution of the capitalist mode of production, the spiritual culture of late capitalism. The accelerated turnover of capital in the era of late capitalism means the rapid emergence and equally rapid disappearance of various cultural phenomena, the mass commodification of images, absolutization of subjective desires at the expense of objective truth and the dominance of “symbolic exchange” in all spheres of social life. Postmodern culture naturally generates “identity wars”, anti-democratic and anti-humanist tendencies that preserve the capitalist social order. This culture can only be overcome through the practical overcoming of the capitalist mode of production.

This article critically examines the problems of terminology within contemporary military-political alliance theory. The study aims to clarify and classify the primary forms of state alignment, such as alliances, unions, coalitions, ententes, and strategic partnerships, which are often conflated in academic and political discourse. By systematically distinguishing these concepts, the author seeks to establish a coherent theoretical framework for analyzing interstate cooperation in the emerging multipolar world order. The research employs formal-logical and dialectical methods, alongside a comprehensive review of both Western and non-Western scholarship. The study’s novelty lies in its rigorous deconstruction of conventional application of the mentioned terms and their systematization. Key findings include a taxonomy of alignment forms, emphasizing their varying degrees of formality and depth. The main conclusion is that proper definition of state alignment forms (from strategic partnership to binding military alliance) facilitates the analysis of state interaction in the international arena. The study results are presented in a scheme demonstrating the interconnection of key terms.

During the second Trump presidency, the U.S. intends to shift its primary responsibility for the defense of Europe, creating a situation of uncertainty for European NATO members. In these circumstances, the importance of bilateral and mini-lateral military-political alliances for Britain is increasing. In light of the goals and objectives of the Defense Review 2025, London is strengthening the Joint Expeditionary Force military unit created under its auspices, and expanding its range of activities from the Baltic and North Sea to the North Atlantic and the Arctic, as well as to the south supporting the Kiev regime. The JEF is also actively trying to counter Russia's "shadow fleet" thus exacerbating the situation in the Baltic, including by practicing an attack on the RF. It is possible to create an analogue of the JEF in the Balkans, and expand JEF activities to the banking and digital spheres. Based on the study of doctrinal documents of the UK government, the activities of the JEF, and the studies of Russian and foreign researchers, it is concluded that the "Northern NATO" is deliberately escalating the situation in the region and beyond.

The new form of the national intellectual frameworks, the socio-political significance of scientific research of formats and processes that take place in the French and German intellectual framework, represent the topicality of this article. The subject of this article is an analysis of the current state of the French and German intellectual systems in the field of political science. This research is conducted in the context of the Franco-German tandem. The aim is to identify the range of topics, examine the content of this range, compare the two systems and formulate hypotheses that may further assist the study. The article is based on the work of leading scientific centers in France and Germany published from 2024 to June 2025. The authors have collected the material through a complete review of all the papers. The structure of the article is determined by research perspectives and has four parts. The first two are devoted to the analysis of the French and German systems. The comparison takes place in Part 3. The hypotheses are formulated in Part 4. The peculiarity of the methodology is that the authors first worked through the collected material autonomously. Scientific novelty is determined by the problem, the summary of the systems, the hypotheses about the impact of the research results on international and European relations. The article is of a discussion nature.

The aim is to analyze the historical policy of collective memory in contemporary Latgale. It is assumed that Latgale acts both as an object and a subject of memorial culture in Latvia. The novelty lies in studying the current stage in development of historical policy in Latvia at the regional level. It is shown that the intellectual community of Latgale makes the main contribution to the transformation and development of memorial culture. It is assumed that at the regional level in Latgale, local social and cultural activists became the key agents of historical policy. The author points out that virtual spaces became the main space for the formation of collective ideas about the past in Latgale. The article shows that the memorial culture in Latgale has original sources, represented by political and intellectual traditions of the Latgalian movement. It is shown that the memorial policy in Latgale is secondary, since the regional form of historical collective memory reproduces narratives that form the historical memory of Latvia.