The article discusses the recent developments in the “geopolitical heartland” in Eurasia, where Russian President Vladimir Putin elaborated the strategy to establish the Eurasian Economic Union among the states of former Soviet Union. Arguably some, like Kazakhstan and Belarus have already joined the initiative and together with Russia have been following up in creation of institutions of the forthcoming arrangement, while some others, like Armenia or Ukraine – have been reluctant to show eagerness from the scratch. Here we discuss the major ideas that might have been put behind the Eurasian Union as well as major impediments which would be challenging the geopolitical initiative, fully dependant on the goodwill of relevant political elites and leadership of new nation-states, and not the nations at large due to the peculiarities of their political standing. Shall the reluctant states wish to join – remains to be seen, as it correlates with the masterfulness of Russian elite, provided the diplomatic sticks and economic carrots that the new arrangement may bring. This is a very thin tightrope, which will afford only a careful runner both for the safety of the ‘performer’ and the ‘rope’, i.e. Russia and its links to former protectorates.

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The article analyses the economic relations of capitalist world-economy "core" with the countries in the region of Caucasus and Central Asia. As a method of the analysis of world-system approach is used. Countries in the region have a peripheral position in the capitalist world economy which is shown in the first part of the article. Then we discuss issues relating to the control and distribution of the oil resources of the region. The third part of the article is devoted to finding strategies of the leading countries of the capitalist world economy towards the region. In particular, we show the place of the region in the U. S. global strategy and in the strategies of the leading EU countries (the UK, Germany, France), and also the features of the Japanese model of extensive'exploitation towards the region.

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The issue of energy diversification policy remains nowadays one of the main directions of the EU foreign policy. Russian-Ukrainian and Russian-Belarus energy crisis has made the EU to seek longterm contracts with the South Caucasus and other Caspian region countries, as well as to think about the construction of a pipeline in order to take Caspian and Central Asian gas and oil via Azerbaijan and Turkey to Europe. The article focuses on the energy diversification policy and the potential of the South Caucasus as a transit route. The regional projects such as Nabucco and AGRI are elucidated in this paper. The possibility of transportation of the Iranian gas is also examined in this article.

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Nuclear safety at nuclear power plants is important for the whole humanity and strict observance of the rules of that security is essential. Security solutions in the peaceful use of nuclear energy are possible only through the joint efforts of all members of the international community. Armenia is a country which has a nuclear power plant on its territory. Suitably it should pay special attention to all aspects of the safe use of nuclear energy and the physical protection of nuclear material. The issue of nuclear safety arises during any nuclear activity that in any way uses nuclear materials and strict adherence to all of the rules under international standards and treaties is basic condition for safe use of nuclear material for peaceful purposes.

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In this article some aspects of the ways of formation of a myth about “Great Azerbaijan” in the Azerbaijani historiography as well as those “arguments” and “facts” which underlie it are considered. It proves that a “great” history of a young “Azerbaijani” nation is forged at the expense of the history of other nations. “Azerbaijanis” came forward as a nation less than one hundred years ago and, correspondingly, everything that took place on the territories of Eastern Transcaucasia and Iranian “Azerbaijan” before the 20th century is no way related to the modern “Azerbaijanis”. In fact it is at least odd to hear the words about “Great Azerbaijan” from the academics representing the nation, which has started to be called “Azerbaijani” only since the mid-30th of the 20th century.

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The article examines the reasons of such manifestations of radicalism in Ukraine as extremism and NN. We give their modern definitions and reveal their influence on public life and especially on security of state.

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