The article describes historical peculiarities of the research of political systems and political processes in the Soviet Union and China. The author reveals the problems of Soviet sinology, including its politicized character, the advantages and disadvantages of the Soviet school, the similarities and differences of the both political systems, as well as differences in their academic approaches. The author also uses a civilizational approach to explain the uniqueness of the Chinese civilization. According to the author, nowadays it is essential to avoid politicization in academic research in order to improve the objectivity of comparative international studies.

The author carries out a comparative analysis of the actors’ adaptation in the process of coalition formation within political systems of Denmark and Sweden in terms of external and internal factors. Particular attention is paid to the process of holding referenda on the EU issues in the both countries. According to the analysis, the author identifies common and different features of the countries’ political systems as well as the logic in the functioning of coalitions.

The concept of "color revolutions" in the post-Soviet space remains popular among politicians and experts alike. However, Russia has not still developed a unified approach to the understanding of these processes. This article makes an attempt to analyze the triggers of the revolutions, as well as their results. The author also holds cross-temporal comparison, finding similarities in the policy of today’s Russia and the counter-revolutionary policy of Nicholas I in the XIX century. In addition, the author gives his assessment of the possibility of such a scenario in Russia.

The article analyzes the approaches to democratization in the Western and non-Western political systems. The author dwells on the methodology for comparative analysis and the system approach, explains the fundamental differences between Western and non-Western political process, taking into account a wide spectrum of socio-cultural, political, economic and ideological factors. The article also examines the peculiarities of the non-Western political systems, their typology and the formation of the concepts of non-Western democracies.

The article analyzes the current state of relations in the triangle of Russia-US-China after the late-2000s global financial crisis from the point of view of their national interests, East Asian policy of the USA, China's growth and the strengthening of Russia in Asia. The author critically examines the existing approaches, foreign policy concepts and the latest initiatives which could shift the balance of power in the post-crisis period. According to the author, Russia still has all the chances to reshape its relations with China and the United States.

There is a wide-spread approach in a research literature to regard terrorism as a communicative process. From this point of view, the author offers a comparative analysis of the three most common communication strategies of terrorist groups, including transforming the role of the mass media, the Internet and a combined approach. The author also argues that a particular communication strategy determines a structure of a terrorist organization.

The article analyzes the trends of higher education in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia in a comparative perspective taking into account such trends as the strengthening of statehood and membership in the EU and the Bologna process. The author identifies important trends in the higher education system of the three countries using fresh demographic data.

The problem of traffic jams in Moscow turns out to be chronic. The author employs a comparative analysis of the experiences of different countries, especially Russia and Japan, in decreasing traffic congestion, appropriate damage and in solving other transport problems. The article analyzes the objective and subjective reasons for the deterioration of the traffic situation, as well as effective strategies to address them.