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disseminate wider. This is a significant problem particularly in case, if anti-Islamic nationalist feelings grow on the other side. The great rise of hostile attitude to Islam by Russians would be an ideal option for terrorists.
Thus, the impact of events in distant Arabic countries on the world and regional political processes is felt rather evidently. At present, the zone of political risk is much wider than the Arabic world, and Russia is not the exclusion.
"Vlast i obshchestvo: Vzaimodeystvie i conflicty". Voronezh, 2011, pp. 302-308.
M. Zinchenko, Political analyst (Pyatigorsk) DEPOLITICIZATION OF ISLAM AS THE BASIS OF STABILIZATION IN THE NORTH CAUCASUS
One of the key factors capable seriously to destabilize the political process in the North Caucasus is Islamism, or political Islam, which emerged in the region during the past two decades and which has objective and subjective reasons, as well as internal and external political sources.
As we see it, the most effective struggle with radical Islamism, and hence, the stabilization of the ethnopolitical process in the North Caucasus can only be carried on within the framework of the strategy of the depoliticization of Islam. The conditions of depoliticization in the North Caucasus are as follows: first, to search for effective means to resolve the problems causing the politicization of Islam in its radical variant at the level of other social subsystems (economic, legal, religious, etc.); secondly, to alleviate the timeliness and high social significance of the problems causing the politicization of Islam in the
North Caucasus and their return to the purely religious sphere; thirdly, to block the possibilities of using political technologies aimed at artificial politicization of Islam in the North Caucasus by domestic and foreign actors which take part in transferring the pressing problems from religious to political sphere.
Among the main trends ensuring prevention of religious-political violence are political-legal, administrative-coercive, socio-economic, and religious-ideological. Measures in the first three trends of the depoliticization of Islam have been taken in recent years and first results can already be seen, but, unfortunately, there are no changes in the religious-political sphere. However, it is precisely this sphere that is the crucial one in the fight against the extreme forms of religious-political activity. This is conditioned, first, by the very nature of Islamism due to which its political practice is founded on the ideological basis. Secondly, there is an acute spiritual and ideological crisis in the region, which in itself is one of the reasons for the politicization and radicalization of religion. What then should be done to ensure security in the religious-ideological sphere?
The spiritual-ideological trend in resolving the problem of the politicization of Islam and stabilization of the political process in the North Caucasus should proceed, first of all, from the need to ensure spiritual security in North-Caucasian society and, secondly, from importance of the speedy choice of the ideological development vector of the state, reflecting the complex social specificity of the region and allowing the coordinate all state, public and personal interests.
Despite the fact that the problems of spiritual security have become acute quite a long time ago, professional interest in them has appeared only in recent years. Nevertheless, there is no commonly accepted interpretation of spiritual security as yet. Most researchers tend to agree that it is one of the crucial elements of national and
civilizational security included in all their types and at all levels. This is connected with the exclusive universality of the spiritual sphere of society, which incorporates ethical and religious communities, social, political and legal institutions, political parties, corporations, families, etc. - the fundamental ideas concerning social standards, values, social orders, ideals, interaction and contacts of people, social communities, and also material bearers of cultural values.
Dealing with the problem of security, including spiritual security, researchers and scholars, as a rule, concentrate attention on protection from definite threats which is represented by methodologically effective and widely used categories allowing us to describe thoroughly enough what sphere should be protected from whom and how. From the general theoretical positions the concept of "danger" or "threat" is characterized by a condition under which a possibility emerges to inflict damage on a system (society, the state, civilization), and also a negative, mostly abstract, impact on it is fixed. Danger is transformed into threat just as abstract impact becomes real. This is why the concept "threat" reflects the greater degree of reality which can have a negative impact on the system, and is determined as a sign of direct danger of inflicting damage.
Among the real threats to spiritual security in the North Caucasus are:
Devaluation of spiritual values, propaganda of mass culture based on the cult of violence, on spiritual and cultural values contradicting the values generally accepted in Russian society;
Demographic and cultural-religious expansion of neighboring states to the territory of a given country and region;
Increased dependence of the spiritual, economic and political spheres of social life on foreign information structures;
Lower spiritual, moral and creative potential of the population of a country and region;
Religious-political extremism and terrorism, nationalism and ethnic separatism;
Greater activity of transborder organized criminal groupings and foreign terrorist organizations;
Manipulation of information (misinformation, defamation, failure to report information or its distortion).
As we see, most threats to spiritual security in the North Caucasus are of an information character. The Concept of national security of the Russian Federation connects the increasing threats to the country's national security in the information sphere with the "elaboration by some states of concepts of information wars," which envisage the creation of means of dangerous impact on the information sphere of Russia.
Information war boils down to purposeful instruction of the enemy about how to destroy its own defense system. The task of using the information weapon consists of helping the enemy to direct the means at his disposal, including technical means, against himself, using his "genetic" knowledge for the self-destruction of the system. Information war is aimed not at annihilating manpower, but at undermining the aims, views and the world outlook of the population and destroying society as such. This is why a system struck by information weapon is guided in its behavior not so much by its own interests as by alien commands. The greater orientation of behavior to alien commands the deeper information defeat.
What we have just said is related to the impact of Islamism on North-Caucasian society, especially its young section, inasmuch as it is precisely its consciousness that is susceptible to such influence most of all. In this connection the question of ensuring religious security, which
is one of the key elements of spiritual security of Russia in the North Caucasus, is especially urgent.
The importance of this problem became evident in 1996, when the State Duma of the Russian Federation in its address "To the President of the Russian Federation on dangerous consequences of the influence of certain religious organizations on the health of society, the family and citizens of Russia" proposed that "religious security should be regarded as one on a par with military, political, economic, ecological and social security." The problem remains as crucial as before, which is largely due to the fact of the presence of the principle formulated in part 2, Article 14 of the Constitutions of the Russian Federation proclaiming equality of religious associations formed by citizens.
It becomes evident that the existing legislation does not take into account the fact that different confessions have different, often contradictory, views on law, statehood, power, morality, etc. For example, the first persons who drew attention of the authorities and public to the danger connected with spreading the ideological practices of the neo-Wahhabi movement were figures of the official Islamic clergy of Daghestan. Their first statements on the matter made in 1994-1995 and addressed to the supreme leadership of the republic contained serious accusations of the Wahhabi movement and demanded to ban it. However, it should be noted that the regional ruling elite in that period underestimated the danger connected with the possible negative consequences of the politicization of the Islamic movement, which had a serious influence on the position of Moslem traditionalists. As a result, there are from two to 10 percent neo-Wahhabi believers among all Russian Muslims (that is, from 300 to 1,500 people). The greater part of them is in the North Caucasian republics of Chechnya,
Daghestan, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cerkessia, and Stavropol Territory.
Taking into account the connection of religious organizations with the political system of a state on whose territory they operate, foreign missionaries, directly or indirectly, act as messengers of a state whose interests they represent. In a geopolitical plane, missionary activity can be considered as ideological expansion against certain Russian regions. As V. Kalinin, an expert on religious affairs, writes: "...The authorities and society do not devote due attention to the very serious problem of missionary activity in Russia by foreign religious organizations in a geopolitical aspect. Meanwhile, the activity of this type at present and in the future poses a serious threat to the country's security, integrity and the normal functioning of state and government bodies. A considerable part of the missionary activity of foreign religious organizations poses a grave threat to the country's national interests."
An active "ideological struggle" has unfolded in the religious sphere of public consciousness. Russian spiritual leaders more often use such words in their articles, speeches and TV and radio broadcasts as "destructive religious organizations," "totalitarian sects," "spiritual aggression," "brainwashing," etc. The problem of protecting its spiritual sphere has become quite acute for Russian society today. Russia should wage a struggle for the hearts and minds of young people of the new generation, which is crucial for peace and security in the North Caucasus.
Such concern is easily understandable, for a wide spectrum of non-traditional faiths which has appeared in recent years gives a person an opportunity to choose faith. However, this choice largely depends not so much on its foundations, traditional character and value for Russian statehood, its significance in Russian history and popularity
among the population, as on its outward attractiveness, its orientation to concrete sections of the population, skill of preachers in their sermons and ability to make it more attractive.
Thus, spiritual security of the North Caucasus, and Russia as a whole, for that matter, is among the most unrealized public requirements. On the one hand, it is connected with the fact that spiritual security per se does not hold any special place in the system of national security and there is no exact definition of its specific functions in public life. On the other hand, the problem of ensuring spiritual security boils down exclusively to defense against definite dangers and threats, which does not allow us to take into account the inner state of this system determined by the interaction of its elements (subjects), which, in turn, should ensure the normal functioning of this system, as well as the functioning and development of society as a whole, irrespective of the presence/absence of these or other threats. In other words, it is necessary to create such system of spiritual security which would be directed not only to protection "from," but also would take into account the need to create a system of security "for": socio-cultural welfare of the individual,.. defense of the values of one's way of life,.. the sphere of intellectual contacts, and the inner world of man." Everyday life and practice show that it is very difficult to realize the character of dangers and threats and evolve a reliable and effective mechanism to oppose them, even if they have been clearly and legally defined.
In view of this, spiritual security should be regarded as a specific component of national security included in all its aspects and representing the state of person, society and power and ensuring their normal interaction and functioning, and also the creative civilizational progress of the existing religious way of life. On the other hand, this is the process of the preservation and positive change of ideas, ideals,
values, standards and traditions prevailing in society and shared by the masses of people and structures of power with an aim of social reproduction guaranteeing the stability of the vector, continuity and dynamics of social development.
A no less important aspect in overcoming the spiritual-ideological crisis and capable to oppose the politicization of Islam is the speedy choice of the ideological development vector of Russia. It is crucial because political Islam is an ideological challenge which should be answered ideologically and theologically in order to offer and substantiate the peaceful practice of political relations. In order to oust Islamic radicalism from human consciousness, people should be offered a no less powerful ideological alternative. Nationalism has already tried to throw a challenge to Islamism, but lost. Communist ideology has not recovered after the shock caused by the disintegration of the U.S.S.R. and the world socialist system, and it cannot be regarded as a real alternative. Liberal democratic ideology, which the Russian authorities tried to turn into the foundation of their policy, is alien, even hostile, to most Muslims, especially in rural districts.
It becomes evident that the ideological answer to Islamism should be formulated in religious terms. As we see it, the most effective and real project capable to rally poly-ethnic and multiconfessional Russian society in the North Caucasus and actively oppose the aggression of Islamists would be the Eurasian (neo-Eurasian) concept. Despite the fact that this is a religious ideology founded on the basis of Orthodox Christianity, it has time and again confirmed its consolidating ability.
A positive element of this ideology is the desire to establish allied relations between Islam and Orthodox Christianity and preserve the unity of Russia as a unique cultural and political entity. The Eurasian concept is approved by quite a few Muslim and non-Muslim
religious and political figures. Among them were Ahmat Kadyrov and A. Panarin.
It should be borne in mind that different political forces can interpret "Eurasian concept" differently. Naturally, it should be modified and revised by Muslim thinkers on the basis of Muslim values.
To conclude, it should be said that the politicization of Islam in the North Caucasus will continue to increase and become stronger and hence, it will continue to determine the character and dynamics of political life. It should be admitted that the existing situation in the North Caucasus seriously threatens the national security of Russia and requires new approaches with due account of the socio-economic and spiritual-ideological character of the problem. A struggle against religious-political extremism and terrorism is also a struggle against the further politicization and radicalization of Islam and it is a must for the stabilization of ethno-political life in the North Caucasus.
"Mir cherez yazyk, obrazovaniye i kulturu: Rossiya - Kavkaz -Mirovoye soobshchestvo," Pyatigorsk, 2011, pp. 105-113.
M. Kolesnichenko, Political analyst (St. Petersburg) AZERBAIJAN IN THE SYSTEM OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
The "march-past of sovereignties," which took place in the late 1980s - early 1990s in Russia resulted in the complete remake of the geographical and political map of Eurasia, on which new independent states appeared that took up an independent development path in the international arena proceeding from their own interests and requirements. Each state was striving to establish multifarious, multi-
