Academic journal “Political Science Issues”. Issue 4 (20), 2015.

CONTENTS

THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS AND PROCESSES

ETHNIC POLICY

POLITICAL PROBLEMS OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Our authors 4-2015

THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

N.P. MEDVEDEV D.Sc. (political science), Professor at the Peoples’ Friendship University, Russia, Moscow

S.I. CHERNYSHOV Candidate of political sciences, Vice-President of the National Union of Politologists, Russia, Moscow

TO THE QUESTION ABOUT THE ESSENCE OF THE NOTION "POLITICAL ACTIVITIES"

The article attempts to comprehensivly analyze the essence of the notion "political activities". The author investigates the goals of different subjects of political relations. He determines the relationships of such notions as "political activity", "public activity" and "social activity". He analyzes the foreign experience of state regulation of political activity of non-governmental organizations.

Key words: politics, political activities, public activity, social activity, political relations, the subjects of politics, non-governmental organizations.

S.A. MIRONOV Chairman of Children and Youth Affairs Committee of Kazan city Executive Committee, Russia, Kazan

CITY IMAGE IN THE DOMAIN OF POLITICAL SCIENCE: DISCIPLINARY FRAMES AND METHODOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

Image research is interdisciplinary in its nature, and therefore it is important to define precisely the disciplinary frames of political science while studying the images. Based on author’s own review of scientific literature, related to image research, specific features of disciplinary frames of political science with respect to city image have been defined (and these are considering the city image as symbolic product, which results from activities of political actors in the context of city policies and which can be reconstructed through local political sources analysis). Furthermore, due to interdisciplinary character of image as a research subject, main methodological perspectives that can be used in political research of city image have been marked out. Those are theories of social constructivism and discourse-analysis, notion of symbolic capital, theories of political communication and theoretical perspectives of place marketing and branding.

Key words: image, image as a subject of political science, city image, scientific literature review, methodological backgrounds of city image research.

POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS AND PROCESSES

P.S. GELERANSKIY PhD, doctoral candidate, The Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Russia, Moscow

ELECTIONS AS A SYMBOLIC RITE OF LEGITIMIZING THE PROCESS OF POWER LOCAL GOVERNMENTS: RUSSIAN EXPERIENCE OF FORMATION AND INTERACTION

In the article, the author explores the system of local governments in the Russian Federation. He analyzes the existing differences between the executive and legislative (representative) bodies of local self-government. He studies formation, competence and powers of the municipal authorities.

Key words: local self-government, legislative (representative) bodies, executive bodies, formation of authorities, competence of authorities, powers of authorities, the system of separation of powers, the system of checks and balances.

М.G. MAGOMADOV PhD (philosophy), Deputy of the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Chechen Republic to the Russian Federation, Associate Professor at the Chair of Theory and History of Journalism in the Faculty of Philology of the Russian Peoples' Friendship University, Associate Professor of Journalism at the Chechen State University, member of the Russian Union of Journalists, honored journalist of the Chechen Republic, Russia, Grozny – Moscow

"LABOR QUESTION" IN THE "TEREK REGION" NEWSPAPER: POLITICAL ASPECT

The article discusses the coverage in the pre-revolutionary Grozny newspaper "Terek region" of political, economic, housing and living problems of workers employed in Grozny oil industry. It tells the story of a heavy share of the working class. It describes the role of the provincial press in covering the "labor question" in the border regions of Russia. Attention is paid to the political aspect of the problem.

Key words: newspaper, oil industry, working class, a heavy share.

M.F. MAGADIEV PhD (Sociology), Associate professor of social conflictology of the faculty of national security of the Russian presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Russia, Moscow

THREATS AND SPECIFIC OF ENSURING THE NATIONAL SECURITY ON THE MUNICIPAL LEVEL OF PUBLIC POWER OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

The article is devoted to the specific of ensuring the security of the territorial formations, explanation of the necessity in the elaboration of model of integrating the processes of security on the municipal level in the system of regional and national security of the Russian Federation and creation of the united complex system of government authorities of national security of the country. The author considers the main problems of the involvement of the local population in the active participation in the activity of the territorial formations including the matters of ensuring the security.

Key words: specific of foreign and internal threats to the security on the municipal level, ensuring the security of the municipal formation, local government authorities, civil society, emergencies of technological and natural character, maintenance of public order.

S.V. VOLODENKOV candidate of political sciences, assistant professor at the Chair of Public Policy of the Political Sciences Faculty of the Moscow State Lomonosov University, Russia, Moscow

CONSTRUCTION OF INFORMATION MEDIA REALITY IN MODERN POLITICAL MANAGEMENT

This article is devoted to the role of mass media in shaping the political pseudoreality in contemporary media space. The paper provides examples of manipulative and propaganda influence on mass consciousness in order to create appropriate mediastructures, acting as instruments of formation of mass ideas about the social and political reality.

Key words: manipulation of the mass consciousness, political propaganda, the media, information warfare.

R.R. ABDULMAZITOV post-graduate student working for a Ph.D. Degree at the Chair of National and Federative Relations of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Russia, Ufa

ENERGY FEDERALISM AS A PROPERTY OF RUSSIA'S POLITICAL METASYSTEM

Metasystem is a basis for harmonious functioning and development of any state. In the context of globalization and interstate competition the energy sector is a political metasystem consisting of separate horizontal and vertical systems with their own internal features striving for the sustainable and harmonious development of the States. In the article, the term political metasystem refers to the energy federalism conditioned by the territorial modernization of Russia and transition to a new political reality.

Key words: politology, energy federalism, the political metasystem, model, political technology, modernization, centralization, decentralization, Fuel and Energy Complex, construction of the federative state, subjects of the Russian Federation.

ETHNIC POLICY

E.S. KARSANOVA Doctor of Political Science Professor at the Department of Government and Public Administration Odintsovo University for the Humanities, Russia, Odintsovo (Moscow region)

NATIONALISM: THEORETICAL DISCUSSIONS

This article is devoted to the most efficient way to comprehend nations and nationalism. Main attention author focuses on ethno-symbolic conception developed by prominent British theorist Anthony Smith. To author’s mind acceptance of this theory leads us to the synthesis of two main approaches to ethno-political theory – constructivism and ethno-symbolism. This synthesis represents the most fruitful way to research of nations and nationalism in the contemporary poly-ethnical societies.

Key words: nation, nationalism, ethnicity, ethno-political processes, poly-ethnical state.

K.V. KALININA D.Sc. (law), Professor at the National and Federative Relations Department of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Russia, Moscow

NATIONAL MINORITIES IN POST-SOVIET STATES AS A FACTOR OF NATIONAL POLICIES

The article attempts to provide an analysis of the legal status of national minorities in the post-Soviet states, and peculiarities of incorporation of international instruments relating to the national minorities in the Russian Federation, as well as the forms of their implementation.

Key words: national minorities, post-Soviet states, international law, national and cultural autonomy.

POLITICAL PROBLEMS OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

A.N. MIKHAYLENKO Doctor of Political Sciences, professor of Russian foreign policy chair at the Department of national security, Institute of Law and National Security, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Russia, Moscow

POLYCENTRIC WORLD: WHAT WILL IT BE LIKE?

The concept of a polycentric world is gradually gaining popularity. However, on its way, there are some obstacles. Its theory is not sufficiently founded. Various countries, including the largest ones, have different attitudes to it. To develop further this concept it is necessary to continue research of its theoretical foundations. Russia and BRICS could take the initiative to develop a Code of Conduct in a polycentric world order. It must be based on a new understanding of leadership.

Key words: polycentric world, multipolar world, world order, code of conduct, BRICS, leadership.

V.G. IVANOV candidate of political sciences, assistant professor at the Chair of Comparative Politology of the Russian Peoples' Friendship University, Russia, Moscow

«CHARTS POWER» – THE NEW TOOL OF SOFT POWER

In the given article, the author proposes and operationalizes the notion of “charts power” (or “index power”, “ratings power”) as a significant component of soft power of national states and international institutions. The author proves that numerous comparative ratings of different countries that have become extremely popular in recent decades could be used as an economic weapon and an effective tool of influence. The article analyses the mechanisms of ratings power and emergence of “rating thinking”. The author concludes about the importance of actual and potential threats to national security of the Russian Federation from charts power of the foreign states.

Key words: country ratings, comparative indices, charts power, index power, soft power, rating infrastructure, sovereign ratings, economic sanctions, political consciousness, global governance.

АSEF NADERY post-graduate student of the Russian Peoples' Friendship University, Russia, Moscow

THE ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND COOPERATION OF RUSSIA WITH SUCH ORGANIZATIONS IN AFGHANISTAN

The article discusses the activities of international and regional organizations in the field of security in the Eurasian region. The participating States of the two organizations have common goals and interests, as well as similar strategic objectives to strengthen international cooperation. The integration of efforts between organizations would contribute to the fight against drug trafficking, peace and stability between the two countries, and promote economic development and prosperity in the region.

Key words: SCO, CSTO, CIS, NATO the UN, international cooperation, international security, economic development.

BARRY HASSIMIU Post-graduate Student of the Department of Comparative Politics People’s Friendship University of Russia, Senegal, Dakar

THE TARIQAS AND ISLAMIC EXTREMISM IN WEST AFRICA

In the article, the author examines the issues of islamic extremism in West Africa. He analyzes the conflict between the supporters of the radical, fundamentalist Islam and those of the syncretic Islam caused by the aggressive desire of the former to impose their patterns of behavior on the adherents of traditional Islam.

Key words: politics, religion, Islamic extremism, conflict resolution methods, West Africa.

HUSSAIN ALI MOHAMMAD MAHDI post-graduate student at the Chair of Political Sciences of the Russian Peoples' Friendship University, Afghanistan, Kabul

AFGHANISTAN AND REGIONAL SECURITY

In the article, the author examines the problems of Afghanistan's regional security and analyzes its basic components and future trends in ensuring such security.

Key words: regional security, international relations, issues of regional development, interaction, coalition, conflict, resolution, Afghanistan.

IVAINA MOHAMMED post-graduate student at the Russian Peoples' Friendship University, Palestine

PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY AS A STARTING POINT MOTION SOVEREIGN STATEHOOD

The author analyzes the political situation in the Palestinian Authority, current at the present stage. It explores the role of international organizations in the process of formation of the Palestinian Authority.

Key words: state, political system, government, army, conflict, law, international organizations, the Palestinian Authority, Israel.