The Scientific Online Seminar

The first session of the Online Scientific Seminar hosted Andrey Viktorovich Belinsky, Candidate of Political Sciences, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

In his speech on the topic ““Alternative for Germany” and the crisis of the traditional socio-political system of the Federal Republic of Germany” Andrey Belinsky talked about the reasons for the emergence of right-wing populism, the stages of formation of the “Alternative for Germany” as well as its basic political guidelines and social base.

The second session of the Online Scientific Seminar hosted Buldakova Daria Igorevna, graduate student in Journalism at RSUH, junior researcher at the Institute of Scientific Information for Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences (INION RAN).

In her speech dedicated to Russian media coverage of European Parliament resolution of 19 September 2019 on the importance of European remembrance for the future of Europe the speaker examined the resolution itself, as well as various perspectives towards the conclusion of The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact  before the beginning of World War II.

The third session of the Online Scientific Seminar hosted Gusev Alexei Alexeevich, historian, political scientist, lecturer of the Faculty of History at MSU.

In his speech on Regionalism in Ukrainian electoral processes the speaker emphasized that the electoral system in Ukraine is one of the most unstable across Europe. This phenomenon is linked to the fact that Ukrainian political agenda has a strong regional specificity, which can be traced back to the referendum on the future of the Soviet

Union in 1991. While voters from Western Ukraine are more focused on the nationalist agenda, Eastern Ukraine usually opts for left-wing politicians, who are in favour of improving relations with Russia. Central Ukraine remains a special case, as its voters prefer moderate pro-European politicians, rather than extreme nationalists.

The fourth session of the Online Scientific Seminar hosted Stepanov Alexander Evgenievich with a report on the topic ‘Blockchain and smart-contracts in digital economy’.

Blockchain, as well as quantum technologies and artificial intelligence, is one of the key technologies mentioned in the national “Digital Economy” program, signed by the Russian president, as a priority in developing the Russian economy’s competitiveness and ensuring Russia to be listed in the world's top-5 economies rate. It’s challenging to find a technology that is as much surrounded by myths and gossips as blockchain. The question of legality, its putative connection with cryptocurrency, difficulty in understanding, implementation and exploitation - everything impedes the adoption of blockchain in business and public administration processes. In his lecture, Alexander Stepanov focused on refuting most common misconceptions, emphasized the need for common digitalization in Russia and across the globe. He also pointed out the possible competitive advantages of implementing blockchain technology.

The fifth session of the Online Scientific Seminar hosted Kosevich Ekaterina Yurievna, Candidate of Political Sciences, Researcher at the International Laboratory on World Order Studies and the New Regionalism with a report on the topic ‘The Mexican foreign policy features: attempts to put the equidistance principle into practice’.

Mexico has a special geopolitical position, being at the junction of North and South America. For the past twenty years Mexican diplomacy has strived to solve the main question of where to move next.

Three options are generally highlighted. The first one is to integrate with North America, USA and Canada, to continue strengthening the existing alliance which has a potential of leading to further rapprochement. Second option is to get back to Latin America. Finally, the third way, the most complicated in terms of its practical implementation, is balancing between opportunities from North and South America while compensating the drawbacks and multiplying the benefits of such partnership.

If Mexico manages to maintain that balance, it will give the country a chance to play a more significant role in both regional and global politics. Have Mexican governments succeeded in bringing this ambitious plan to life during the first two decades of the XXI century? The speaker tried to answer this question along with other urgent issues of Mexican foreign policy’s agenda. The seminar is dedicated to the release of Ekaterina Kosevich’s individual monograph ‘Mexico in the system of geopolitical coordinates of the beginning of the 21st century’.

The sixth session of the Online Scientific Seminar hosted Petr Viktorovich Oskolkov, Senior Researcher of the Department for European Integration Studies at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Senior Lecturer of the Department of Comparative Political Science of Moscow State Institute of International Relations of Russian MFA (MGIMO). The guest spoke on the topic "Nationalism in the political process of Western Europe".

Nationalism is a phenomenon that can be viewed both from the point of political ideology and psychology.  Psychologically, this phenomenon is generated by frustration and feelings of relative deprivation; ideologically, nationalism is not an “all-encompassing” ideology, and in political systems it functions only when combined with larger ideological families.

From the point of view of structural functionalism, there are two main poles in nationalist ideologemes: a group of extreme loyalty (conditional “We”) and a group of negativism (“out-group”, “Others”).  On the basis of which groups are distinguished by a particular political party, we can classify used nationalism by different types.

The seventh session of the Online Scientific Seminar hosted Pyatachkova Anastasia Sergeevna, Deputy Head of the International Laboratory on World Order Studies and the New Regionalism, Senior Lecturer at the Department of International Relations of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs of the National Research University Higher School of Economics. The speaker spoke on the topic "Development of the theory of international relations in China."

The Chinese school, despite the lack of a unified approach to its understanding, is one of the most dynamically developing in the non-Western world.  Its further strengthening is essential for the establishment of China's global leadership.

The stages and features of the formation of the theory of international relations in China were considered within the framework of the seminar.  Special attention was paid to the analysis of the ideas of the most famous authors (Yan Xuetong, Zhao Tingyang, Tang Shiping, Ye Zicheng, etc.).  Moreover, the issue of the perception of Chinese concepts in the international academic field was discussed.  In conclusion, attention was paid to the development of think tanks in the field of international relations: the specifics of interaction between the state and scientific institutions in China, as well as the institutional features of work in the field of international relations in China.

The eighth session of the Online Scientific Seminar hosted Sherstyukov Sergey Andreevich, Researcher at the International Laboratory on World Order Studies and the New Regionalism of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs of the National Research University Higher School of Economics. The speaker spoke on the topic "German propaganda in the Middle East: from the German Empire to the Third Reich (1914-1945)".

With the beginning of the XX century an increasingly important place in the long-standing confrontation between the great European powers in the Middle East was occupied by propaganda.  Revolutionary changes in the field of transport and communications had created new opportunities for targeted impact on the mass consciousness.  After the outbreak of the First World War, propaganda took on an unprecedented scale and form, becoming an important element of "total" war.

Within realizing that the war would not end with a quick German victory, Berlin tried to use the mobilizing potential of Islam to fight the British, French and Russians.  Propaganda aimed at Muslims was a part of a wider effort by the German Empire to organize insurrections and revolutions both in the colonial periphery and in the imperial centers of its opponents.

The results of policies aimed at mobilizing Muslims and anti-colonial nationalism in Germany's interests were contradictory and generally disappointing for Germans, but this experience was not forgotten. After the outbreak of World War II, Germany again declared itself a power that defended the interests of Muslims and strived for an alliance with the "Muslim world."  The Middle East and North Africa were on the periphery of Hitler's strategic thinking, at the same time during the Second World War those regions became the objects of systematic, large-scale and intense propaganda efforts of the Third Reich. A special role was assigned to broadcasting.

The seminar is timed to coincide with the publication of an individual monograph by S.A.  Sherstyukov "German propaganda in the Middle East (1914-1945)".

The ninth session of the Online Scientific Seminar hosted Kochegurov Dmitry Alexandrovich, Postgraduate student, Graduate School of Political Sciences, Higher School of Economics, with a report on the topic "Formation of D. Trump's foreign policy ideology and its manifestation in US policy towards Canada and Mexico."  The report is based on Dmitry Kochegurov’s dissertation (the dissertation was accepted for preliminary consideration on October 14, 2020).

Donald Trump's ideology was formed in a specific socio-political context, based on changes in U.S. society and elites.  The 2016 presidential election highlighted the ideological heterogeneity of American society.  By the end of Barack Obama's second term, there was a feeling in society that the neo-Wilsonian tradition had become detached from the soil and went too far in pursuing their policies.  The Trump phenomenon and such a phenomenon as Trumpism are a consequence of internal problems, a sign of changes that are long overdue in the United States.

During the first (and most likely the only) term of D. Trump in power, one can speak of the evolution of the ideological and political attitudes of D. Trump himself, the Republican Party and the electorate rallied around them with a radicalization of the migration agenda and a gradual tightening of the US position in trade wars.  US migration policy under D. Trump has changed doctrinally.  However, it is strongly focused on Mexico.  The future of white European America may depend on solving the problem of illegal immigration and reducing the growth of the Latin American share of the population.

The tenth session of the Online Scientific Seminar hosted Denisova Alena Sergeevna, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Media, Higher School of Economics, lawyer in the field of copyright and media law. The guest spoke on the topic “COVID 19, Twitter, Trump and Fake News: International Approaches and Trends in Regulating the Liability of Internet Platforms.”

How did it happen that a private company suddenly blocks the account of an American president and at the same time finds support in the world of business and politics?  What does this mean for the media industry?  Why did the term “fake news” become the main word in 2017 according to the American dictionary “Collins”?  "Hate speech", "post-truth", "infodemia" and other threats to the new reality are gradually being reflected in international law.  How effective and promising is this fight?  The tendency to toughen the responsibility of media giants has led to an increase in their influence at the macro level, to abuses in the search for a balance between business interests and freedom of speech.  What approaches to regulating the liability of Internet platforms exist in modern international law, and what trends have emerged in the fight against new threats are the main issues that were raised by the speaker in her speech.