1.As the documents proved, Israel tested some new generation Air Forces weaponry in the Southern Lebanon, the same that the US Army had already used in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Russian Army is to conclude from this that the threat of use of highly enriched uranium cannot be excluded, but, perhaps, it would increase, thus making it a vital task to keep in high alertness the Radiological & Chemical Warfare (RCW) regiments and units.

2.It is necessary to employ and analyze the efficiency of the 'fire control centers' established in the reorganized Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to provide air and artillery support for the ground troops: the IDF set them up upon introducing the digital technologies. The new centers, theoretically, were to coordinate the Air Forces and artillery firing in real time in the interests of infantry and tanks.

3."The Hezbollah rocket rain" has revealed scandalous defects and shortcomings in the Israel's antimissile and antiaircraft defense. Speaking of the Russian army, it means, that it is necessary to reconsider the tactical and technical characteristics of the Russian space and air defense, and to partly transfer efforts and funds for developing tactical antimissile defense weapon complexes to hit low-flying missiles with the rocket anti-aircraft complexes that kill unguided missiles with tiny surface-to-air rockets.

4.To draw some lessons and conclusions from the last year Israeli-Lebanese war, the Russia's political and military leadership need to start developing the perspective army of 2030, to define what is required of new types of combat weapons and equipment and of training  the armed forces personnel.

Tsyganok Anatoly

1.The Soviet/Russian nuclear submarines (NS) service lives average 25 years. Upon a NS is put out of the Navy's operations, it has to undergo required procedures to isolate radioactive wastes that are dangerous to people and the environment, and also to process non-radioactive metals and materials that could be subsequently used in the national economy. The lack of required facilities for up-to-day utilization of the out-of service NS results in long keeping them afloat, with the demands for continuous control and the whole range of complex labor-consuming actions.

2.In the USSR and then in Russia, the problem of utilizing NS had not been tackled for many years, that having brought most pitiable impact upon the environment around of places where the out-of-service NS were stationed. Radioactive pollution of some facilities in Kola Peninsula and Primorie Krai turned to become the international problem, and extremely costly one, demanding huge investments. The situation was aggravated with emergency situation many coastal nuclear submarine fleet facilities have found themselves in.

3.To use the Russia's existing complex of industrial utilization of the ships with nuclear energy units (NEU) for solving the problem of the expensive and potentially dangerous keeping the British out-of service NS afloat would become another case of the further development of the international cooperation in the field of WMD non-proliferation and the environment protection. The Russian shipyards' experience in complex utilizing ships with NEU and their industrial capabilities and infrastructure might promote the success in solving the problems of utilizations of sea oil-rig platforms, that is in the interests of both Russia and Great Britain.

Maltzev Alexey, Manuilsky Dmitry

1.From the viewpoint of the newest geopolitics, more complex many-dimensional communication landscape is being formed. It becomes obvious to many, that Russia did not and will not grow to be a part of the West's wealthy "belly". The Russian Federation, adequately contributed to the destruction of the Soviet Union, has suddenly decided to aspire to the role of a new Heartland being identified with Russia. That made the USA to correct its Eurasian geopolitics giving the first priority to the Eurasian marginal zone of civilizations (Evramar).

2.Russia wins tactical victories using the technologies of the new (energy) geopolitics. But it loses, following the already set traditions, in strategy, whenever the newest geopolitics info-psychological technologies of undermining strength of mind are used against it. At that, Russia plays the role of the self-justifying party more often, shows weakness, filling the information space with idle talk, instead of genuine political will. 

3.Evramar's geopolitical future is seen as the need to preserve poly-ethnicality along the boundaries of civilizations by expanding contact/transit communication functions and creating modern infrastructure. To set up communication centers mode of operation with preferential mode of operation at the boundaries of the Eurasian civilizations is to promote economic growth, socio-psychological comfort and inter-ethnic tolerance in the Balkans, Middle East, Caucasus and Central Asia.

4.The USA and the European Union cannot overcome their own eroticism for the sake of this future. Russia and China ought to be interested in it. But the Communist China has no wish to enter any kind of alliance against the third country. Thus, the Eurasian world becomes more unstable and unpredictable, than it was prior to the world Socialist system disintegration.

Dergachev Vladimir (Ukraine)

1.The world community's concerns over the nature protection resulted in ecologizating all sides of the public life. In international relations, this became apparent in extension of inter-state cooperation in many areas of nature protection. The important role in this cooperation is played by the United Nations that set up a number of institutions to address these problems. Of these, the most effective is the UN Environment Protection program (UNEP) that coordinates the efforts to solve the acute problems of man-caused influence on the biosphere, and publishes global ecological forecasts.

2.The non-governmental ecological organizations profoundly contribute to nature protection, their number came into hundreds in the world. One of them, the Green Peace independent international non-governmental organization, totals to 1.5 million members, and aims at preventing environment degradation. The Green Peace has the status of the full member or the official observer in some conventions on the environment protection. The Green Peace has brunches in 32 countries; its official mission in the Russian Federation operates since 1992.

3.The process of ecologizing has noticeably touched upon another important element of the public life - the politics. By now, there are, probably, no state without ecologically focused legislation or governmental nature protection institutions. However, the activities of non-governmental and political organizations, called 'green' by their participants, are of special interest. These organizations play significant role in solving the environmental problems.

Svechnikov Alexander

1.In the early years of its independence, Kazakhstan had no financial system of its own; there were branches and structures of the Soviet banks operational in the country, that, in main, worked as the payments centers, rather then the commercial institutions. The Kazakhstan financial system's first serious step - as well as its first serious trial - was the introduction of the national own currency, tenge. Thereafter in Kazakhstan, they took well-directed efforts to develop efficacious financial system in the Republic. To do so, the team of professionals was recruited, whose work had President Nazarbaev's support.

2.Kazakhstan's successful economic development has brought the economy of the Republic to the level, when the former decision-making and management mechanisms proved to become insufficient. There were many multinational corporations (MNC) doing business there, primarily in  mining and oil and gas production, raw material partial processing and transportation. These MNC controlling centers are located in various countries outside Kazakhstan. And, naturally, they follow their own interests, and they have means to easily divert their capitals from one country to another.

3.Kazakhstan was pronounced the country with the market economy, earlier than any other CIS country. In 2005, it was included into the Global Competitiveness Report and, according to the Kazakhstan media, immediately became the 61^st out of 117 countries positioned in it, well above its CIS neighbors. In the country's economic well-being cumulative index, the competitiveness is just one of the showings. In 2005, judged by the economic well-being cumulative index, Kazakhstan came 80^th out of 190 countries that had had their data analyzed.

Medvedev Roy

1.In the Russia's  small towns, the web-media have not become widespread yet, some are not attracted by the economical features of the local markets, others are fearful of organizational hardships. The federal projects, except for the most popular - the Komsomolskaya Pravda, Argumenti i Fakty, Moskovskii Komsomoletz, Zhizn', Rossiiskaya Gazeta, and some others - are the goods sold by a piece in the districts. The local (town and district) media are remained. Under such conditions, they are the most readable within the area of their distribution.

2. Often, one of the priorities for the significant part of the regional media is their outright weakness in substance and content. Pages of "wiser" publications are filled with amorphous mass of casual writings, that testimonies the amorphous editorial policy. There are many reprimands as far as the language and style of publications concerned, the fact surprises no one, considering a bad shortage of good journalists in general. The best "pens", having sprouted in regional media, are quick to move to 'the central' publications, leaving the local media with the severe   personnel crisis in the hands.

3. 4. Another regional publishers' problem is the subscription, i.e. increasing prices and tariffs for delivery and, consequently, the drop in circulation. At that, local subscription is utterly important element of distributing, due to weak network of press retail selling in the regions. The subscription price increase places a heavy blow on regional publishers, who suffer permanent financial difficulties as it is. Still, a qualitative information product, correctly and, that is more important, adequately promoted within the corresponding environment, is always in the reader's demand.

5. The number of the regional publishers' successful information projects, though not overwhelming, is gradually increasing, enough to make a positive shift in the peripheral media market. At that, however rational is the notion of subsidy-free press, too many local publications are still unable to survive without outside financial injections. One important thing must be understood: the market is to be developed by market relations and just the strongest (by their work and motivation) are to be players in it. Such players are to control the  market  - stable and economically attractive.

Martynov Dmitry, Os'kin Alexey

On June 8^th, 2007, the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Europe hosted the scientific training conference on The Black Sea Cooperation: Towards the Partnership of the 21^st Century, attended by well-known Russian scientists and officials, foreign embassies staffers and think tank researchers. The conference was sponsored by the RAS Institute of Europe, the Institute of Strategic Studies and Analysis (ISOA, Moscow) and the Megatrend University (Beograd).

N. P. Shmelev, Director of the RAS IE, and V. A. Guseynov, Director of the ISOA, made opening speeches at the Conference.

THE TRIPARTITE CONFERENCE ON

 

On June 10-12, 2007, the tripartite conference on The Strategic and Policy Lines in the Post-Soviet Space was held at the German Foreign Policy Council in Berlin.

It was claimed during the discussions, that Russia, being most interested in the cooperation with the USA, still is reserved in this interest by the continuing NATO expansion to the east, despite the promises to the contrary given both by the USA and the West. Concluding the debates, the conference participants confidently stated, that the USA, EU and Russia, by making the necessary efforts, would find ways and forms to cooperate. It is for the future to show, whether that will be selective or strategic partnership, depending on the parties' willingness to form the common platform for the joint actions.

 

 

THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF THE ITALIAN EURASIA. REVIEW OF GEOPOLITICAL STUDIES MAGAZINE, TIBERIO GRACIANI, VISITED THE VA BULLETIN

 

On June 21-24, 2007, the Editor-in-Chief of the Italian Eurasia. Rivista di studi geopolitici (Eurasia. Review of Geopolitical Studies) magazine, Tiberio Graciani, visited Moscow by the invitation of the Institute of Strategic Studies and Analysis, editors of the Vestnik Analitiki bulletin and the Bureau of Socio-Economic Information.

The meeting was a part of the ISOA and Vestnik Analitiki editors international contact program. The invitation was aimed at establishing and developing the contacts with an authoritative Italian publication, exchanging opinions on the topical problems of the modern political life, arranging professional cooperation between the two publications. While in Moscow, T. Graciani met the top-managers of the ISOA and BSEI, the VA bulletin editors, the Russian experts on foreign and home policies; had discussions on broad range of international and domestic policy issues. 

It was agreed to further the contacts between the ISOA, BSEI, Vestnik Analitiki bulletin and the Italian Eurasia magazine, including the publication exchange, increase in contributors to the both publications, holding meetings and discussions.

"In 1989, the country entered the fifth year of the Perestroika. Less than three years left till the USSR would collapse. But at that moment it was unlikely anyone at the higher places could foresee such an impetuous prompt and inglorious ending of the history of the 'multinational state of the workers and peasants'. Then, it was in 1989 when the symptoms of the political crisis that ultimately resulted in the USSR's disintegration became apparent. "Suddenly", the hotbeds the political conflicts came to life not just in the Transcaucasia, but also in the Central Asia, Northern Caucasus, in the Crimea. In the Baltics, the centrifugal trends proved to be dominating."

"Since the very start of the Perestroika, M. S. Gorbachev declared the need to reform, democratize the nationalities policy. At that, solving numerous problems in the life and inter-relations of the USSR nationalities and republics were being postponed till the time, when some special plenary session of the CPSU Central Committee would find out the way to solve them. But the events of the first years of the Perestroika have proved, that there was no spare time to postpone the solution of the 'burning' problems.

Dashdamirov Afrand

On Jean Baudrillard. The Transparency of the Evil. М.: Dobrosvet Publishers, 2006, 258 pp. 

1.The book covers the broad range of issues - the economics, politics, arts, communications, the human image. The French philosopher sees the current condition of the world as being in the state after an orgy. Each explosive moment in the life of the society, every moment of liberation in any sphere is an orgy. J. Baudrillard wrote his book in the metaphorical language, and to get into its essence some premonitory comments are needed.

2.To J. Baudrillard, the absence of original political strategy (the thing that, perhaps, is already impossible), the incapability to reasonably control social relations are the indications of the State's loosing its social essence. The State does not function already according to the political will, it is ruled by the blackmail, intimidation, pretence, provocations or ostentatious hustle. It invents some politics, including the social one, inherited with indifference and lack of emotions.

3.The sobriety and depth of J. Baudrillard's judgments are worthy of respect. They indeed perfect the philosophical reflexion, prompt to political assessment. However, they give rise to a certain disappointment, too. It is somewhat tiresome to follow his detailed recording of general contamination of the civilization, his registration of its paradoxes and signs of decay. The inadmissible thought comes to mind, if everything is so bad and hopeless, then why to care? The power of the modern civilization is inevitable. There is no possibility to look for new culture/ civilization foundations. The question is, aren't we accommodating themselves to the existing world order by means of such a list of invectives, with such a heart-breaking exposure of social sores.

Spirova Elvira