The Ideological Legacy of Charles de Gaulle. II. National Paradigm. Part 2. A Concept of France's Greatness

The imperative of France's grandeur was one of de Gaulle’s national idea essential elements which is as widely known as it is often misinterpreted. Although such classical vocabulary was disappearing from European political discourse, the founder of Gaullism used the notion of greatness strongly rooted in French political culture as a mobilizing symbolic force for meeting crucial domestic challenges. The motive of greatness was also closely linked with the principles of France’s autonomy and global responsibility, on which de Gaulle pivoted the positioning of the Fifth Republic in the post-war world. All this conflicted with the supranational Euro-Atlantic project, which was the main reason for the sharp negativism against de Gaulle's strategy and rhetoric, accused of "archaic thinking" by his opponents. In fact, the "last great Frenchman’s” concept of "greatness" was quite unorthodox in its reasoning and content, which are of particular interest as part of his relevant ideological legacy. Instead of axiomatic superiority, restoration of former power, civilizing mission, he insisted on the importance of high goal setting, vast undertakings and historical actorness, which were in de Gaulle’s view the existential imperative of French history.

Cultural Transfer and Dialogue of Cultures in the Russian and Latin American Civilizational Borderlands

The article compares “cultural transfer” and “dialogue of cultures” as socio-cultural realities in two "border" civilizations of planetary scale – Latin America and Russia. The author develops and illustrates the thesis that identity of subjects of intercultural interaction is a necessary precondition and the key to cultural transfer. The focus is on the problematics of the dialogue of cultures. According to the author, the basic reason for all difficulties to put into practice the ideal of dialogue consists in what W. O. Quine described as the problem of "radical translation", that is, of understanding texts created within another culture based on essentially different views about the universe and life.

Vaclav Havel, Russia and Nato

The attitude of Vaclav Havel, the first head of the post-Communist Czech Republic, towards NATO went beyond just Atlanticism and included some reverence for the Atlantic bloc. Havel moralistically encouraged the bombing of Yugoslavia and the interventions in Iraq and Libya; he urged to bring NATO closely to Russian borders and to punish Russia for the USSR's sins and potential imperial ambitions. Such views, though not shared by most Czech citizens, have long defined foreign policy priorities of some Czech political elites. Their traces are being found at the brink of the third decade of the 21st century. However, Havel's approach, always in praise of NATO, has been recognized as futile even by his strong supporters.

Key Fault Lines in the System of International Relations

The rapid ubiquitous spread of the coronavirus pandemic has quickly accelerated changes in the established world order and given an extra impetus to transforming the system of geopolitical relations. The fundamental implications of these tectonic shifts, which began several years before the COVID-19, have yet to be fully understood and assessed. However, some trends, which portend deep rifts in international relations and directly affect the geostrategic interests of the Russian Federation, can be already identified.

Concepts of Belarusian History. I. From West-Russianism to National Myths and Post-Soviet Pragmatism

Among the alternative versions of the past there are several main models represented in the academic space and directly influencing public consciousness, public policy and internal political processes in the Republic of Belarus. Apart from the Soviet school of Belarusian history, these include West-Russianism, which views Belarus as an organic, yet distinctive, part of the Russian cultural and historical space, "Litvinism", and the Belarusian national school. The complex and dramatic nature of the formation of Belarusian statehood in the 20th century still determines the dominance of ambiguous, polar and sometimes mutually exclusive approaches to the study of national history.

Historical Consciousness and Ideology at Turning Points in Russian History

The evolution of the historical consciousness of Russian society over two centuries shows its potential to play a destructive or a saving role in dramatic moments of history, when out the prime value of the national statehood continuum is challenged by outer or inner attacks. The Russian intelligentsia's maximalist “reception” of Marxism resulted into total nihilism and a zeal to sacrifice the statehood for the sake of world revolution. However, having started in 1917 with a radical overthrow of Russian history, the authorities reincorporated it into the Soviet doctrine on the eve of the World War II, which resurrected national feeling and unity and enabled victory in the mortal fight. New ideological but equally nihilistic maxims once again prevailed and lead inter alia to the second collapse of the state in 1991. Historical consciousness of contemporary society, especially of young generations, is particularly prone to rapid changes and alternative extremes in the era of information technologies, which confirms the crucial importance of historical education to maintain spiritual sovereignty and national conscience as its core.

Russian-Chinese Treaties: Milestones and Zigzags of History. II. 1945 – 2021

Continuing with the review of the most significant treaties between the USSR/Russia and China, the author highlights the distinctiveness and positive impact of the treaties of 1945 and 1950. The departure from them and the ideological rift of the 1960s and 1980s had dramatic implications for both powers. The author attributes special importance to the currently valid 2001 Sino-Russian Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation that mounted bilateral relations to an unprecedented high level. This even stimulated ideas either to supplement it with new articles or to conclude a new alliance treaty. While the idea produced discussions in the expert community and the media of both countries, the two parties have not shown readiness so far to enshrine in a legal act the newly acquired quality of bilateral relations. However, the escalation of U.S.-Chinese confrontation and the new "cold war" the West launched against Russia are calling for such a step, for the geopolitical prospects for Russia and for China are as closely linked as their past.

Basic Science in the USA: A Cultural Perspective

The change in value and cultural stereotypes, which has taken the form of cultural wars, has affected almost all United States public spheres. In recent years, it has been increasingly affecting the field of basic scientific research, including the fundamental sciences such as physics and mathematics. Despite the leading positions of the United States in the world scientific ratings, immigrants have traditionally played a vital role in American fundamental science. Changes in immigration inflows, as a rule, contributed to socio-cultural shifts, which largely determined the subsequent level of fundamental research. The ongoing change in ideological guidelines, under the banner of "racial and ethnic diversity”, has already touched both the physical and mathematical communities. New “measures to improve diversity and inclusion” among faculty and students at American universities have been an important, but not the only manifestation of this trend. Such changes can have implications for the United States position in world science, as well as for its scientific, technological and economic development.

The Ideological Legacy of Charles de Gaulle. II. National Paradigm. Part 1. An Understanding of National Realitie

The national credo of Ch. de Gaulle went fаr beyond patriotism, a romantically providential image of France, the principles of French independence and “greatness”. The «last great Frenchman» had his own in-depth understanding of national dimension in history, which in his typical way synthesized existing concepts and doctrines, while rejecting extremes, reductionism and absolutization. Being a doer of history and not a desk theorist, the founder of the Fifth Republic did not seek to formalize his reflections in abstract terms. Yet, his systemic approach to the national dimension within his political philosophy contains a substantial theoretical message. The author explores key elements of de Gaulle's national idea, his views on the French nation’s genesis, identity and evolution, on political and cultural role of nationhood, on prospects for nation states and other.

Concepts of Belarusian History. II. "Russian World", "Litvinism", "Belarusian Civilization"

At the turn of the 1990s, Belarus received a unique chance to revive Western-Russianism as a new national idea based on the centuries-old cultural affinity of the three fraternal Slavic peoples. However, rapid changes in the historical policy of the Belarusian leadership resulted in the diffusion of nationalist concepts of the past into historical science and official rhetoric. President Lukashenko's theses about the "Belarusian civilization" were quickly reflected in “official” Belarusian historiography. The symbols of the modern Belarusian protest movement - T. Kostiushko and K. Kalinowsky were introduced into the public consciousness not by external forces, but by Belarusian textbooks.