Among the huge number of anniversaries celebrated in 2009, there are many joyful and happy dates: the fall of the Berlin wall, the beginning of the “velvet revolutions”, in other words “Spring of the Eastern European peoples”. There are tragic dates - the suppression of the uprising on Tiananmyn Square, the onset of "Winter" for China. Among the others, the date that makes us be sad when he heard about which I just want to be silent.

From the editorial office. John Mirsimer is an influential American political scientist, historian, theorist of international law. John Mirsimer is one of the leading foreign policy experts, a professor of political sciences at the University of Chicago, who is considered an unspoken intellectual leader in the movement of realists in the United States.

From the editorial office. In 2009, Russia was forced to celebrate not the most fun anniversary. On December 14, 2009, he has been performed twenty years since the death of an outstanding public figure, the “father” of the hydrogen bomb Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov. He is probably one of the few, about whom a good memory has been preserved in modern Russia.

On Wednesday, December 9, Dmitry Medvedev took part in the European and Asian media forum, where journalism problems were discussed. It was about freedom of speech. The President said that “ everything is in order with this ,” and mysteriously added that “ this is a very difficult philosophical topic: where are the boundaries of what is permitted and what is a taboo .” In general, the head of state thinks about it, but he did not really understand the end.

The West is not uniform, and various state, political, public figures, the media, experts in different ways see the role of Russia in the world. There are people in the West, who, based on their understanding of the national interests of certain countries, would really like to see Russia with a significant subject of the world economy and world politics, playing a prominent role in the global balance of forces and in a number of regional balance of forces.

From the editorial office. On December 12, 2009, the first elections of the President of Independent Abkhazia, recognized by the international community (so far, though only by Russia, Nicaragua and Venezuela) were held in the Republic of Abkhazia. The head of the CEC of Abkhazia Batal Tapagua announced the victory of the current head of state Sergei Bagapsha. According to the CEC, 59.4 percent of voters voted for Bagapsha.

From the editorial office. In 2009, Russia was forced to celebrate not the most fun anniversary. On December 14, 2009, he has been performed twenty years since the death of an outstanding public figure, the “father” of the hydrogen bomb Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov. He is probably one of the few, about whom a good memory has been preserved in modern Russia.