The purpose of the study is to compare the role of the G7, the G20 and BRICS in the global governance system on the basis of an assessment of the representativeness and potential impact of these informal associations on the rest of the world on the basis of a comparative analysis of a number of socio-economic indicators of participating countries. The relevance of the research is related to the fact that these institutions represent a certain counterbalance to the leading formal universal international organizations, functioning on a permanent basis, primarily the UN. Based on a two-tier economic consolidation assessment of considered multilateral institutions participants and their respective macro-regions, the authorы came to the following conclusions: the «Group of Seven» and «Group of Twenty» have a higher potential for implementation of joint economic projects and initiatives because of a higher level of their economic consolidation based on bilateral trade; the analysis of economic connectivity of macro-regions the countries participating at global leading informal associations belong to showed a low level of effective potential for joint projects realization for most of them. It means that the multilateral institutions of highest level are capable to provide better common coordinated solutions to the problems of insiders, and not those of outsiders; the G7 members consolidate four of the five macroregions to which they belong, while among thirteen macroregions G20 members belongs to there is only one additional consolidated entity which is Southeast Asia. Thus, a threefold increase in the number of the G20 participants does not enlarge the effective geography of the G20 impact on the rest of the world; even though the BRICS group has the reduced potential for effective implementation of joint participant initiatives because of low level of consolidation union members lesser than 10%, and only China belongs to the economically connected macro-region - East Asia; Brazil, Russia and South Africa are included in the potentially prospective regions with a level of connectivity more than 15%.

this article contains a comparative analysis of the main directions of the information policy of different states in three areas: information rights and freedoms, e-government and information security. Such a comparison is an actual character because the problems of information law are often global, and the legal regulation of information relations has an international component. Based on the results of the comparison of national legislations of different countries conducted in the article on certain issues of the information law, the following conclusions are made. Realization of the basic rights and freedoms of citizens in the information sphere occupies a special place among the national interests of most countries, but the rights of the individual can be limited. Legal restrictions in the information field are considered on the example of comparison of methods of content management of the global network, which are characterized by the state's definition of the level of interference in the network life of citizens and methods of ensuring intervention. Electronic governance in various states is characterized by a transition from the concept of "e-government" to the "digital government" model associated with the transformation of the entire structure of public administration. In this field, the UK experience is valuable, where the "Government as a platform" project is being implemented, and Germany, where the construction of "e-government" basically began with the enhancement of the information culture of citizens and civil servants. Information security today come out on top in the majority of countries and international organizations. In general, information security trends in all countries are similar, which is reflected in the Russian strategic documents.

Within the pluralistic worldview framework, the study of the fundamental state legal categories often requires clarifi cation of their meanings. Constitutional legal protection as an integral part of constitutionalism is manifested in all spheres of public administration and is an imminent characteristic of the essence of the state. The absence of an integrated approach, revealing the nature of the constitutional legal protection, prevents its further conceptual development and effi ciency. The fi rst three parts of the essay are dedicated to the «Introduction» into the problems of constitutional legal protection and the formation of a primary understanding of this category on the basis of its relationship with the Constitution and also the degree of its elaboration of themes and etymology. The fourth and fi fth parts are intended to help the reader gain the most complete understanding of the major social meanings and assumptions of constitutional legal protection, as well as of the depth of its implementation in the framework of constitutionalism on the meta-level of scientifi c knowledge.

The article contains a comparative analysis of the main directions of the information policy of different states in three areas: information rights and freedoms, e-government and information security. Such a comparison is an actual character because the problems of information law are often global, and the legal regulation of information relations has an international component. Based on the results of the comparison of national legislations of different countries conducted in the article on certain issues of the information law, the following conclusions are made. Realization of the basic rights and freedoms of citizens in the information  sphere occupies a special place among the national interests of most countries, but the rights of the individual can be limited. Legal restrictions in the information fi eld are considered on the example of comparison of methods of content management of the global network, which are characterized by the state's defi nition of the level of interference in the network life of citizens and methods
of ensuring intervention. Electronic governance in various states is characterized by a transition from the concept of «e-government» to the «digital government» model associated with the transformation of the entire structure of public administration. In this fi eld, the UK experience is valuable, where the “Government as a platform” project is being implemented, and Germany, where the construction of «e-government» basically began with the  enhancement of the information culture of citizens and civil servants. Information security today comes out on top in the majority of countries and international organizations. In general, information security trends in all countries are similar, which is refl ected in the Russian strategic documents.

The study focuses on the policy of Russia in the UN on issues of information security. We analyze basic doctrines and documents regulating information security policy in Russia, as well as international legal Russian initiative. In addition, we present the work of the UN in this realm as a context for the Russian initiatives on international information security. We argue the necessity of joint actions of Russia and the United Nations to fi ght information security threats.

For a long time the activities of mass media in Russia have been largely determined, and are still being determined now, by the state authorities. The state controls the activities of the information impact subjects, considering information resources, on an equal basis with other resources, to be important links that connect the multinational people into a single unity, and to remain one of the sources of the strength and power of the country. The author of the article, showing the changes that have taken place in the interaction between the state authorities and the media during three centuries of Russian history, expresses the idea of the inevitability of the active presence and control of the government institutions of the communicative and information fi eld of the country, being an important factor ensuring the development of Russia, which conducts an independent external and internal policy and protects its national interests. 

The article analyzes the factors and patterns that explain the entry of some societies and the non-entry of others into the European revolutionary wave of 1848-1849, examines the causes of the various results of the revolutions. The article implements the theoretical and historical approach in macro-sociology, including shuttle movements between the General hypotheses and the systematic comparison of cases for their verifi cation and correction. In the «Spring of Nations» as a vast wave of European revolutions of 1848-1849 the imperial center (Vienna) and ethnic provinces of the Austrian Empire (Venice-Lombardy, Hungary and the Czech Republic) were taken for analysis. The factors of creating a revolutionary situation are clarifi ed and the hypothesis of «fi lling » the missing factors due to the external infl uence of revolutions in neighboring and/or highly preferred societies
‒ due to the effect of the revolutionary wave is confirmed. 

The article is devoted to the comparative analysis of terrorist tactics, in particular to the search for macro-causes of the appeal to the political murders of prominent state and public fi gures. Examined are the political and social-economic conditions related to political murders committed by terrorists, and conditions associated with the attacks of suicide bombers. In the course of the study, a series of negative binomial regression models were constructed for four periods from 1995 to 2011. As a result, some root causes clearly linked to the use of terrorist tactics of political assassinations were identifi ed. The fi ndings indicate that terrorist tactics stem from various underlying problems in the country.

For a long time the activities of mass media in Russia have been largely determined, and are still being determined now, by the state authorities. The state controls the activities of the information impact subjects, considering information resources, on an equal basis with other resources, to be important links that connect the multinational people into a single unity, and to remain one of the sources of the strength and power of the country.

The author of the article, showing the changes that have taken place in the interaction between the state authorities and the media during three centuries of Russian history, expresses the idea of the inevitability of the active presence and control of the government institutions of the communicative and information field of the country, being an important factor ensuring the development of Russia, which conducts an independent external and internal policy and protects not only its national interests, but also the interests of a number of other countries.

The article is focused on the analysis of the evident and hidden reasons of the deep political crisis between USA and Germany. The role of the Donald Trump’s personality is considered as an important factor infl uencing the dialogue between Berlin and Washington. At the same time the article is providing arguments as to why USA is deliberately keeping Germany under pressure by using diverse economical, political and military instruments. This article also compares the mainstream scientifi c approaches towards the analysis of the “transatlantic solidarity”.

The political aspects of the formation of the civil society and the rule of law in modern Azerbaijan coincide with the general trends in the development of globalization and political processes in the modern world. The nature of the civil society formation in Azerbaijan is inseparably linked with the regional political processes. In particular, the analysis of internal political and regional processes, conducted on the basis of consideration of the legal framework and political structures of the country, the main stages of post-Soviet development, and tendencies in the development of civil society, which are mainly manifested through such forms of social life as the activities of non-governmental organizations, civic engagement, corruption and bureaucracy, authoritarianism in various echelons of power, showed that the civil society in Azerbaijan had not yet met the advanced standards of open society and democratic development. The formation of the rule of law is hampered by the regional contradictions, in particular, the Nagorno-Karabakh confl ict, as well as high legal illiteracy of the population, the traditions-bound nature of the social structure, elements of corruption and authoritarianism in management at certain levels.

Book Review: Ceron, Andrea. Social Media and Political Accountability Bridging the Gap between Citizens and Politicians. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017. 236 p.

Discussing the book: New International Relations: Main Trends and Challenges for Russia / ed. A.V. Lukin. Moscow: International Relations, 2018. 590 p. (in Russian)