{"title":"“Political Warfare” 2.0 (USA vs Russia – Moment between Past and Future)","authors":"U. Artamonova","doi":"10.20542/0131-2227-2023-67-10-40-49","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20542/0131-2227-2023-67-10-40-49","url":null,"abstract":"The article analyzes the political conflict between Russia and the U.S. that started in February 2022 within the framework of the “political warfare” (POLWAR) concept. Focusing specifically on the dimension of information and ideas as a primary field for confrontation, the author seeks to define and evaluate the tendencies related to the American public diplomacy (PD) that have emerged in 2022–2023. The analysis covers three levels: structural level (observing the formal structure of the U.S. PD), practical level (observing the main activities related to the POLWAR topic) and theoretical level (observing the development that took place in the relevant discourse of American expert and political communities). The article discovers several tendencies. There seems to be little action on the structural level: the systemic crisis of the American PD remains in place, indicated by a structural atrophy, lack of leadership and the absence of political will for change. Trends on the practical level demonstrate the defensive “political warfare” tactics: the intensification of “countering disinformation” activities focuses on disputing and discrediting information and narratives of Russian origin, whereas measures taken by the United States and allies against Russian media, journalists, public diplomacy organizations and activists are aimed at restricting access of the Western audience to Russian information sources. On the theoretical level, the emergence and spread of “domestic public diplomacy” and “reputational security” concepts in the U.S. among expert and political communities calls for attention. While “reputational security” (proposing the elevation of PD from an optional to the core element of foreign policy) definitely implies a trend towards considering public diplomacy and other related activities more seriously because of the POLWAR, the “domestic public diplomacy” concept reinforces the defensive tactics in the POLWAR by suggesting the adaptation of PD practices (traditionally used to influence foreign audiences) for the domestic audience. At the end, the author draws a conclusion, suggesting that the choice of the defensive tactics by the United States in the “political warfare” against Russia was determined not by limited resources for the offensive tactics but rather by expectations of the opponent’s behavior. The article compares the current POLWAR with the “political warfare” that took place between the U.S. and the USSR, and reveals some similarities: at the start of the previous POLWAR, the USSR had an advantage of developed and proven effective system of institutes, instruments and activities for influencing foreign public, incorporated into the foreign policy processes. Today, roughly speaking, the United States possess the same advantage due to the well-known American PD system. In the past, with the roles reversed, the U.S. chose to focus its efforts on influencing the public opinion of the opponent’s population undermining their POL","PeriodicalId":398103,"journal":{"name":"World Economy and International Relations","volume":"13 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135058937","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Global Climate Agenda: Big Gamble","authors":"T. Rovinskaya","doi":"10.20542/0131-2227-2023-67-9-15-30","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20542/0131-2227-2023-67-9-15-30","url":null,"abstract":"The article considers one of the most relevant and, at the same time, the most controversial topics of international politics – tackling climate change (global warming). The author attempts to answer a question: is the global climate agenda a natural priority, or is it being promoted intentionally? On the one hand, global warming is a scientifically acknowledged process, encouraged by industrial emissions of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, etc.), which may be harmful and dangerous for the environment and for humanity. On the other hand, climate change is one of many serious environmental problems that require urgent solution (such as water and soil pollutions, deforestation and desertification, loss of species, plastic waste and other). The question is: for what reason has the global warming been gaining increased attention for the last decades, primarily from Western states which not only proclaimed it their chief political goal, but have also been consequently promoting this agenda in the international arena? The Framework Convention on Climate Change (UN FCCC) adopted in 1992 at the UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, with the additional Kyoto Protocol of 1997 and then the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015, aimed mainly at the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, undergo a yearly “stock-taking” and promotion at the UN Climate Conferences. The European Union and its leading states (Germany and France) as well as the United States were the first to declare a “green transition” meaning a full decarbonization of their economies by 2050, expecting the rest of the world to follow this path as well. They have already spent billions of dollars for climate aims, including direct assistance to “fragile states”, and are ready to spend much more in the near future. Regular informal meetings at high level (the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Bled Strategic Forum) have also been mostly devoted to the climate agenda in recent years. Analyzing the results of climate-related events of the last decades and especially the last years, the author comes to a conclusion that the global climate agenda in its current form is being promoted intentionally and is a new form of struggle for world economic and political leadership.","PeriodicalId":398103,"journal":{"name":"World Economy and International Relations","volume":"3 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135358251","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Dynamics of Migration and Integration Processes in Southern Europe","authors":"G. Sidorova, N. Zherlitsina","doi":"10.20542/0131-2227-2023-67-9-109-118","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20542/0131-2227-2023-67-9-109-118","url":null,"abstract":"The article analyzes the latest migration trends in Southern Europe. Given the proximity to Africa and the Middle East, which are the main sources of migrant flows, the discussed topic is especially acute for the region and the countries chosen for the analysis, namely Portugal, Spain, Italy, San Marino and Malta. Using a comparative approach, the article focuses on the European general strategy for the reception of migrants versus its actual results. Despite the fact that the EU guidance and standards provide the foundation for immigrant integration policies across the region, the actual legal practice, its implementation and results in specific countries differ widely. To some extent, Portugal is ahead of other nations in the region, and its advantage is the result of a nationwide immigrant integration policy and a single state body empowered to lead its implementation. In Spain, on the other hand, the development of integration policies is performed regionally, meaning the absence of a nationwide integration program and, hence, a certain level of fragmentation and a lesser degree of policy efficiency. Italy adopted its first immigrant integration plan as recently as in 2017, and it has not brought significant results yet. Still, with the recent upscale in immigration flows, Italy’s former soft immigration policies are becoming tougher. The country remains committed to multiculturalism and the quota mechanism for receiving migrants. Although tiny in size, Malta experiences high immigrant flow pressure, and tries to tackle it by providing de facto paid citizenship and residence permits for privileged immigrant strata.","PeriodicalId":398103,"journal":{"name":"World Economy and International Relations","volume":"229 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135361151","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Social Policy and Public Administration Ecosystems","authors":"I. Udovenko","doi":"10.20542/0131-2227-2023-67-9-129-138","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20542/0131-2227-2023-67-9-129-138","url":null,"abstract":"The article examines the transformation of social policy in countries that prioritize the use of digital technologies in public administration. State integrated platforms – ecosystems –that emerge in these countries serve as a basis for social interaction, using data on organizations and citizens of one or more countries interactively, which leads to changes in social policy. The main changes of this kind include convergence of state and corporate structures for managing social processes and individualization of the state’s interaction with people. The article identifies the social imbalances that have limited the creation of a global ecosystem of social management and become the driver for the emergence of several types of such ecosystems. The analysis demonstrates that implementation of business models of digital transformation of public administration in some countries retains the historical continuity of the principles that underpinned their social policy earlier. The author concludes that the partnership role of the corporate sector in setting goals for social development leads to formation of cross-border horizontally oriented ecosystems in countries with social-democratic and liberal traditions. In countries with etatist and paternalistic value orientations the striving to achieve digital sovereignty leads to the introduction of an hierarchical principle of ecosystem formation. Meanwhile, countries with similar historical continuity and value orientations develop various digital forms of realization of public goods – monetary or in the form of socially valued services. As a result, the study proposes a typology of public administration ecosystems built on two bases. The first is the institutional basis of digital transformation, which implies the consolidation of the leading role of the state or public-private partnership, and the second is the one concentrating on social policy supported by digital technologies.","PeriodicalId":398103,"journal":{"name":"World Economy and International Relations","volume":"4 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135361165","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"International Trade in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic","authors":"V. Zagashvili","doi":"10.20542/0131-2227-2021-65-10-15-23","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20542/0131-2227-2021-65-10-15-23","url":null,"abstract":"The article examines the implications of the COVID‑19 pandemic for the development of international trade. The international trading system has demonstrated sufficient maturity and the ability to remain stable even in extreme conditions. The negative impact of COVID‑19 on trade was provided through a general drop in demand, disruptions in and business travel. Attempts to foster economic stability and enhance the resilience of global value chains through self-reliance and limiting supply network within national boundaries are counterproductive. The solution to the efficiency versus safety dilemma lies in the area of diversification. In the medium term after the expected rapid recovery growth the development of international trade is likely to slow down and the growth rates of trade and production will trend towards convergence. The long-term impact of the pandemic on international trade will be manifested through the impact of structural factors: the Fourth Industrial Revolution, trends in the field of transnational production, changes in the paradigm of social development, competition between economic policy models, rivalry between leaders of the world economy, and the results of efforts to regulate trade on the multilateral basis. The pandemic made more obvious the need for cooperation, not only in the narrow aspect of coordinating anti-epidemic measures, but also in the broader sense of promoting development and narrowing the gap in welfare, health care and the quality of life in general, both in different countries and within countries. In the area of trade policy, it highlighted the urgent need for closer cooperation in overcoming barriers to trade (lowering duties, removing technical barriers, mutual recognition of sanitary certificates, interfacing digital regulation systems). The disunity and noticeable confusion of governments during the pandemic emphasized the task of overcoming the WTO crisis.","PeriodicalId":398103,"journal":{"name":"World Economy and International Relations","volume":"5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124069005","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tribal Factor in Libya: Metamorphoses after Qaddafi Epoch (2011-2020)","authors":"Y. Zinin","doi":"10.20542/0131-2227-2021-65-9-118-129","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20542/0131-2227-2021-65-9-118-129","url":null,"abstract":"The overthrow of M. Gaddafi with the assistance of NATO in October 2011 led to the collapse of the vertical of power and institutions of the state and sentenced Libya to a deep systemic crisis. The article examines the peculiarities and role of the tribal factor in the current events in Libya, a country with deeply divided, multi-composite societies (DDS). It is characterized by tribal, regional, racial and ethnoreligious diversity. With 90% of its population having tribal roots, the number of tribes passes 140. This diversity has left its mark on the course of events, affected the struggle for power. The author sums up the shifts that have taken place in the tribal segment of society in recent decades. The rush of members of different tribes to the city led to their fragmentation, diminution of their former structure. The bonds of kinship, the spirit of solidarity, the traditional behaviour of the tribesmen have been to different extents eroded. However, the influence of a tribe or genus that play the role of a bonding society remains essential. This was especially evident after the advent of dual power in 2014, the author assumes. The two poles of domination – Tripoli and Tobruk are trying to play this card to their advantage. On the other hand, the security vacuum caused by the fall of the regime spontaneously filled forces, including regional tribal groups. The scholar tracks how various tribal councils and other entities here and there take on the functions of maintaining resilience and order, ending infighting, returning hostages, etc. In doing so, they often turn to the traditional usual right – Urf. The author agrees with a number of Libyan scholars and other foreign researchers that there are now some signs of a breeding tribal identity in Libya. At the same time, this process is multi–directional, as in Libya, a country with a deeply divided society, tribes can both engage in conflicts and contribute to their peaceful denouement. The researcher draws attention to the fact that the relationship between tribalism and Islamists is rather contradictory. The latter use to argue that “Islam is the solution to all problems.” But their entry into the arena of politics in Libya after October 2011 did not prevent the de facto collapse of the country and the growth of sectarian standoff. And that according to the author divides society and plays into the hands of certain political forces. In this atmosphere, tribal polarization and the general alienation of society are at risk of growth. The author analyzes the relations between tribal and national identities in a country where the process of consolidation of the population into a single nation has not yet been completed.","PeriodicalId":398103,"journal":{"name":"World Economy and International Relations","volume":"29 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126972031","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Social Sciences and Global Turbulence: Rebooting the Mainstream","authors":"V. Mart'yanov, L. Fishman","doi":"10.20542/0131-2227-2021-65-1-100-113","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20542/0131-2227-2021-65-1-100-113","url":null,"abstract":"After the collapse of the bipolar world, the neoliberal mainstream emerged in the global hierarchy of social sciences, built on three axiomatic pillars: Western domination, capitalism (free market) and liberalism (the value of individual autonomy). Nowadays, one can more and more often witness criticism and disintegration of the mainstream, which claimed the universality of descriptions and legitimation of modern societies that have reached the end of history in the form of open-access liberal market democracies. The purpose of the article is to find out how transformations of the prevailing political and economic orders, configurations of the subjects of geopolitical dominance and their legitimate metaphors determine the direction of changes in the social sciences mainstream. The hypothesis of the research is that the prevailing principles of stratification and distribution of public resources will be less and less valuable and institutionally related to capitalism, market and democracy, since an appeal to the latter does not lead to an increase in the available opportunities for the majority of the population in practice. The global change in social ontology, the structure of economic reproduction and legitimate foundations of the political order bring about a drop in the credibility and relevance of mainstream concepts focused on the axiomatics of market values and liberal rhetoric. Intellectual attempts to restore the relevance of the neoliberal mainstream through the construction of local utopias (flat world, creative class, knowledge economy, etc.), the introduction of complementary concepts of civil repair (J. Alexander), sociocultural trauma (P. Shtompka), unworthy government (bad governance), dependence on previous development (path dependence) or gauge (N. Rozov) do not save from growing conceptual stretch. Formation of a society without tangible economic growth and a declining need for mass labor leads to the inevitable transformation of the mainstream. Alternative and peripheral theories that describe the contours of a global future mainly in non-market, non-capitalist and, possibly, non-liberal categories are becoming more influential. These are concepts that fix new formats for the distribution of public resources, less and less connected with the market, democracy and hegemony of the West, but increasingly – with rental mechanisms, distributive political regulation and differentiated value of different social groups for the national state. Acknowledgements. The article has been supported by a grant of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) and the Expert Institute of Social Research (“опн”). Project no. 20-011-31025 “Alternatives to Political Mainstream amidst the Crisis of the Global World Order”.","PeriodicalId":398103,"journal":{"name":"World Economy and International Relations","volume":"10 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131744087","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Analysis of the Influence of the European Parliament and the Council of the EU Exemplified by the EU Emissions Trading System Reform","authors":"N. Kaveshnikov","doi":"10.20542/0131-2227-2021-65-6-21-32","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20542/0131-2227-2021-65-6-21-32","url":null,"abstract":"Received 28.12.2020. The article examines the comparative influence of the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament in the ordinary legislative procedure using the example of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) reform. The study was carried out on the basis of a process tracing method. Primary data includes documents reflecting positions of the actors (summary of consultations, position papers, statements) and the progress of the legislative process (Commission proposal, EP amendments, discussions in the Council, final text of the directive). In total, 21 important elements of the reform were analysed, on which the positions of the European Parliament and the Council diverged significantly. The following conclusions are made. 1) The case study provides a relevant example of the consensual nature of the EU decision-making. 2) The case study confirms that the essence of the legislative process in the EU is not a confrontation, but an faithful cooperation of both co-legislators. 3) The Commission and both co-legislators were significantly limited by the decision of the European Council, which fixed most of the basic parameters of the ETS phase IV. This corresponds to the trend of new intergovernmentalism. 4) The study of comparative influence of both co-legislators on the final text of the directive demonstrates that the member states played a decisive role in the ETS reform, and the final provisions of the directive reflect primarily the balance of interests and influence in the Council. The study shows how the interests of certain groups of the EU member states, in particular of CEE countries, were taken into account. The influence of the European Parliament on the legislative process is greater than that of individual countries, even the biggest ones, but it is no more than a quarter of the influence of the Council as an actor. 5) The study identifies a number of factors that enable the European Parliament to uphold its position more effectively. Acknowledgments. The article has been supported by the Institute of International Studies of the MGIMO-University. Project No. 2022-02-01.","PeriodicalId":398103,"journal":{"name":"World Economy and International Relations","volume":"10 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131856282","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Role of New Digital Technologies in a Time of Crisis","authors":"T. Rovinskaya","doi":"10.20542/0131-2227-2021-65-6-95-106","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20542/0131-2227-2021-65-6-95-106","url":null,"abstract":"Received 26.01.2021. The article investigates the role of new digital technologies during a crisis period on the example of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Considering the methods used by different states to prevent the spread of the virus and its consequences, the author analyzes the advantages of the impelled rapid digitalization, scrutinizes its negative aspects, and discusses perspectives. Although the digital transformation had already been taking place before the pandemic actually started (2019), the current crisis facilitates the unprecedented digitalization breakthrough in all life spheres, which will have delayed consequences. The short-run effects are already obvious: deepening of virtual communication; advancement of electronic document flow systems and online-services (including E-Government, public health service, etc.); virtualization of education, culture, sports, leisure activities; transformation of labour market towards distance employment, an outburst of electronic commerce and services, robot automation in economy; virtualization of political life (online-meetings, online-debates, online-summits, etc.), and, moreover, a transfer of power struggle and geopolitical struggle itself to digital platforms. Greater convenience and effectiveness are the most vivid advantages of digital technologies development, which plays the key role in crisis periods. Better access of disabled persons and people living in geographically remote places to medical aid, education, cultural objects, etc. also belongs to important achievements of the rapid digitalization. At the same time, there are significant negative aspects of this process, both general and specific. The violation of democratic rights and freedoms (primarily, of personal data security and individual privacy) is unavoidable in the light of the necessary “digital control” from the state to contain the spread of infection. Private IT companies participating in the process of the virus spread control due to their products (mobile applications, Internet platforms, etc.) also benefit from access to personal data. Whereas this issue is not central in authoritarian regimes like China, it becomes very challenging for democratic societies of the West. The digitalization of services gives wide room for irregularities and fraud in general. A growing “digital exclusion” is another concern: the greater dependency on technical means excludes certain parts of the population unable to use them for different reasons. An increasing individualization and solitude amid the lacking real-life communication gives rise to complicated psychological issues and mental disorders. Among specific negative side-effects of digitalization there are obstacles in personal electronic verification, worsening in the quality of remote medical assistance and online-education, unemployment growth and smashup of offline-businesses in economy, and some other. The most complicated question of the current crisis and the next “pos","PeriodicalId":398103,"journal":{"name":"World Economy and International Relations","volume":"70 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127254429","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Energy Transition and Post-COVID World","authors":"E. Telegina","doi":"10.20542/0131-2227-2021-65-6-79-85","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20542/0131-2227-2021-65-6-79-85","url":null,"abstract":"Received 13.01.2021. The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated global economic, technological and social transformation, including the energy sector, and has given the impetus to energy transition from organic fuels to clean energy sources. Though oil will remain an important energy resource in the global energy balance, in the long run renewables will become the leading energy. The European Union and China are the leaders in implementation of energy transition strategies from fossil to clean energy. The transformation in the energy market has affected dramatically the relations between producers and consumers, who now actively determine the consumption trends (for example, green energy, electric vehicles, etc.). Distributed generation and blockchain in power industry enable the consumers to play an active part in the electricity production and distribution chains. Digital transformation and climate agenda are changing the structure of energy business from vertically integrated companies to knowledge-intensive networks. Investors almost unanimously vote for renewable energy. The largest oil and gas companies change their long-term strategies and transform into energy holdings with the prevailing share of renewables in the business structure. Hydrogen attracts particular attention as a promising energy source. The EU plans to develop hydrogen transport infrastructure. For its part, Russia has the ability to supply hydrogen to the European market through the existing gas pipelines. Coronacrisis accelerated the development of online services, artificial intelligence, and distant work. Education and telemedicine received a powerful impetus for further development. Еducation becomes continuous process in the digital world. New educational ecosystems in which skills and competencies are worked out on an interdisciplinary basis are formed. Digital transformation meets the expectations of the generation Z, which in the coming decades will become economically active and will dominate in social and economic agenda. Digitalization, adaptive nature-like technologies, environmentally friendly energy resources, flexible horizontal network between market participants are already a post-COVID reality.","PeriodicalId":398103,"journal":{"name":"World Economy and International Relations","volume":"99 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124554404","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}