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Фактор «умной силы» в процессах институционализации международных отношений
The article is dedicated to the analysis of the smart power factor in the processes of institutional changes in international relations, their main elements and features, the importance of interactions on the matter of “power” in the evolution of international system and subsystems.
The author notes that nowadays we can observe another turn of transformation of the international relations environment. It is connected to the drastic expansion of the opportunities for trans-border interaction between different communities and social groups. The result can be the creation of the new identity, which exists beyond the states’ frontiers. The wide practice of the trans-border contacts contributes to growth in significance of the values and ideology in international interactions. At the same time, the background for transformation of the international relations environment is the globalization that exacerbates the problem of the “three key divides”: socio-economic, politic and value ones. As the result, we see an exponential increase in world politics’ uncertainty and international weakness of the states. One of the most effective remedy to systematize interactions and eliminate uncertainty is the building of the complex institutional structures. Moreover, they reflect convictions and values appeared in societies and communities in the process of history. Therefore, the building of appropriate institutes can significantly ease many of existing international problems, including ones connected with the international environment’s changes. Another important thing is to provide mutual benefits for all of the involved actors. Otherwise, the efficiency of the building systems would not be significant.
The abovementioned decrease in the international capacities of the states also appears in the decrease of the “hard-power” source to promote national interests. The significance of the “soft power” is constantly rising. However, the “soft power” is not the mechanism of the direct action regarding the politics of other states. More effective and adequate remedy we see the “smart power” that combines “hard power” for compulsion and vengeance and “soft power” for persuasion and attraction. The capacities of an actor to promote “smart power” are closely linked with contextual intellect and existing path dependence that are rooted in culture and historical experience, which shape the features of the collective cognition and perception of some events and occurrences. The above mentioned factors directly influence the process of international institutionalization.
In the context of analysis of some “smart power” aspects, the author draws attention to the “three faces of power” concept. In addition to that, the article points out the determinant meaning of the security in international processes which accounts for almost every important decision of elites in the process of definization12. The improving of security can be treated as the decrease in uncertainty, including by the means of institutionalization and collective “smart power” implementation.