EUROPEAN COUNTRIES AND THE INSTABILITY ZONES OF ASIA AND AFRICA: PROBLEMMETHODOLOGICAL INTRODUCTION

Abstract

In the introductory article, the author analyses the problems connected with the transformation of global balance of powers. The paper explores a current trend associated with the loss of the former influence of the member countries of the Euro-Atlantic community. One consequence of this is the emergence of large-scale interstate confrontations: an example is the emergence of an instability zone in the Far East due to growing tensions between the United States and its partners, on the one hand, and China, on the other. Another consequence is the complication of the situation in the zones of instability due either to the ongoing armed conflict or the incompleteness of its settlement. The Western confrontations with Russia and China contribute to the reduction of diverse resources (including military ones), which NATO and EU member states have previously used to fight international terrorism and settle armed conflicts. This is precisely the reason for the disastrous withdrawal of Euro-Atlantic Community member states from Afghanistan and the problems related to the possibility of maintaining their presence in the Sahara-Sahel region and the Middle East. This issue of the «Current problems of Europe» is a collection of articles that explore and analyze the activities of major European NATO member states - the United Kingdom, Germany, and France - in areas of instability. The main focus is on the West and North Africa, Middle East, and Indo-Pacific regions.