In this article the author reveals the General and particular in development of Institute of presidency in post-socialist countries. The author compares the constitutional powers of the heads of States, noting the similarities and differences in their political development. After the collapse of the USSR in all republics adopted new constitutions and amendments thereto, reinforcing monofunctional system specifically created to resolve unusual acute economic, social and political problems. Today, the Institute of presidency in post-Soviet countries are diverse, and characterized its own characteristics, has specific features. The author’s notes that the post-Soviet space is not a monolith, and each political system can be a variety of achievements in a democratic transit. And if a number of some political systems choose the Western path of development, striving for the principle of the peaceful transfer of power and maximum democratizarea political discourse, others are very much dependent on the Soviet cultural inertia, a sense not involving the standards of democratization. There is another experience (Georgia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan), suggesting that the political system may be in a state of constant temptation. On the one hand, democratization and gradual reception of Western political standards, but on the other hand, the slow authoritarian drift. Some post-Soviet political system may experience the tendency to centralization, it is appropriate to their cultural code and historical traditions. On the contrary, in political systems that lean towards a different political tradition, could occur in reverse. Certainly, the experience of a particular post-Soviet political system and its choice in favor of one or another vector of development will assume a specific design of the presidency.

The article summarizes the information about oil pollution in the southeastern part of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland, obtained on the basis of long-term data of satellite and aircraft observations. It is shown that the main sources of oil pollution of the Baltic Sea are ships of various types. The main areas of oil pollution of the Baltic Sea, which are connected with the main shipping lanes and approaches to the ports of the Baltic countries, are detected.

This article analyses the conception of collision between Russia and the West. It presents the history of U.S.-Soviet relations in the context of globalization. The authors note that, despite the end of the Cold War after breakup of the Soviet Union, the militarization of politics has not taken back seat as a geopolitical factor and has directly affected the various aspects of national and international security. The subject matter change of the participants in this process should be noted as a special feature of the militarization of modern globalization. The role of transnational and nongovernmental organizations escalating the situation in many unstable parts of the world is increasing. The neutral states and international organizations which purpose is far from of militarism begin to be enlisted for military and political actions. In the article the processes of geopolitical competition and militarization are considered on the example of the Russia-West confrontation and the bilateral relations between the superpowers are analyzed in the historical perspective. The article presents the uprise of the Cold War as a natural phenomenon. The Cold War was a deliberate policy of the US administration aimed at establishing of US dominance in the postwar world. This strategy involved the confrontation with its geopolitical opponents and not partnership relations. The USA could reach its foreign-policy goals only through the Cold War. One of the main methods of battle was the arms race aimed at the economic attenuation of the USSR. The paper focuses on the problems in the relations between Russia and the USA at the contemporary stage. The article designates the role of Russia which is countering and responding the expansion of geopolitical competition as well as projecting of its national achievements and spiritual values in the world. The article considers in the context of geopolitics and the militarization of the country the reform of power structures conducted in the Russian Federation and the functions of the Federal Agency of the Russian Guard’s troops. The founding of this structure is caused in many respects by the geopolitical situation developed at the beginning of the XXI century and requiring the rethinking of the "national security" concept and the change of national security priorities. The analysis of challenges and threats to the security of the Russian Federation in today's global world shows that the military constituent plays a significant role in its security content. The article determines potential threats to Russia's national security which have geopolitical, geo-economic, military and resource specificity.

The article is devoted to the policy of "soft power" in foreign policy of States. Therefore, the authors differentiate between a direct or official instruments of soft power and indirect or informal. Discusses the specifics of "soft power" the U.S., China and Russia.

In article the main political symbols used in modern Ukraine for a raising of patriotic sentiments are allocated. Political symbolization as regulation of patriotic mass consciousness and behavior is considered within active promotion of perpetuation of heroes of a Maidan, destruction of the historical past, opposition with the Russian symbols and legislative activity of the government.

One of the present-day aims of Baltic countries is to get rid of energy independence from Russia. The situation in Baltic region after the Soviet Union collapse has its negative impact on Baltic’s economy. In the article it could be found the roots of an attempt to create an energy independence from Russia and the research reflects the irrationality of such approach. The geopolitical causes shall be analyzed as well.

In article the author investigates history and problems of interaction of Russia and OSCE in the field of electoral laws; analyzes documents of the CEC concerning an order of activity of foreign (international) observers, the documents of the OSCE/ODIHR devoted to elections to the State Duma in 2011 and in 2016.

Modern political realities bring research issue of identity to the forefront. This aspect becomes of great importance in particular for the states of the post-Soviet space as well as in general for the whole region. Searching for new political traditions as well as “dividing” the existing ones along with the common historical past is obvious in the conditions of statehood formation. In this context the example of inner political variety of positions and approaches in Belorussia as in one of the active participants of the integration processes in the region is interesting. The attempts to define the area of the political identity in the Belorussian society are made in the article. The analysis of the official holidays shows main characteristics of political identity in Belorussia at the present stage. Different political and social forces perception of these events and attitude towards them are displayed. The basic and alternative trends of the further country development are defined through the lens of the significant dates and events.