RUDN Journal of World History

The significance of the research topic is predetermined by the importance of Caliphatism as a phenomenon of social thought in the history of Islam. The purpose of this study is to analyze the regional specifics of the perception of the institution of Caliphal power in the center and on the periphery of the Islamic world during the First World War (1914-1918). The military failures of the Ottoman Empire and the triumph of the Western colonial powers forced Muslim thinkers to redefine the idea of the community ( ummah ) as a form of spiritual and political unification of the adherents of Islam. The authors focused on the ongoing discussions about the opportunities for Islamic unity and the prospects of the Caliphate in the changing conditions of world geopolitics. The original models of the “Arab Caliphate” and the “Ottoman Caliphate”, later opposed by the Caliphatists to the ideas of secular statehood, manifested themselves in the meaningful ideological dialogue between the defenders and opponents of the Ottoman government. Based on historical sources, the authors analyzed the intellectual work and political positions of Muhammad Rashid Rida (1865-1935), Ali Bash Hamba (1876-1918), Abdul Kalam Azad (1888-1958) and identified the eclectic nature of their ideological and political reactions to the weakening of the power of the Ottoman Sultan-Caliph. It is proved that the specific features of the traditional political culture of the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia have become a decisive factor that led to a different interpretation of the tasks of the Caliphate in the main areas of Islam. In addition, the nature and mechanisms of the influence of the Ottoman intelligence services on the development of the philosophical and ideological justification of the Caliphal power among Muslim intellectuals have been clarified.

The Taiping Rebellion in China in the middle of the nineteenth century was not only the largest social revolutionary movement of its time, but a movement inspired in to a large extent by Christianity. The article highlights the important place of the Bible in Hong Xiuquan’s life, its radical reinterpretation by the Taiping leader, and the role that his religious ideology played in the actions of the Taiping and the existence of the Taiping Tianguo. The purpose of the study is to determine the role of religious ideology in the Taiping rebellion, as well as to analyze the views of the leader of their movement. The relevance of the research topic is due to the need to study religious ideologies related to the period of the history of the Qing Empire (1644-1911), as well as the markedly increased scientific interest in the history of China during the reign of the Manchu dynasty. During the study, it was found that under the influence of Western missionaries in southern China, a modified version of Christianity arose, turned by Hong Xiuquan into the ideology of the Taiping movement: the goal was to recreate the kingdom of heaven in this world.

The topic of the current study is of exceptional relevance due to the rather poor knowledge of the life of Eastern Arabia in the 17th and 18th centuries. One of the least studied issues in this field of study is the socio-political history of the Bani Khalid emirate, one of the most significant powers of the Arabian Peninsula during the mentioned period. The main purpose of the article is the reconstruction and primary analysis of the main directions of its foreign policy as well as the factors that influenced its formation. The core of the study consists of data from the Arabian chronicles of the 17th-19th centuries. Its systematization and comprehensive analysis showed that the determining factor in the formation of the foreign policy of the newly formed emirate was the weakening of Ottoman influence in the Persian Gulf, which led to the independence of the East Arabian province of Al-Hasa under the rule of the Khalidites. The absence of serious external threats, the large number of the ruling tribe, the wealth of the lands under its control, as well as the specifics of social life of the emirate allowed its rulers to begin active subjugation of one of the main trade routes of the peninsula, which ran through the southern regions of Central Arabia. New chronicle materials also enable division of this process into three main ones, which differ by the strategies of Bani Khalid leaders in achieving their goals. In general, this work is one of the few studies covering this topic that can also serve as a basis for further research on the history of the Arabian Peninsula.

The relevance of the research topic is due to the active development of the U.S.-South Korean relations and their impact on inter-Korean relations. The role of the United States in the foreign policy of the Republic of Korea is great which not only limits it in developing of its own potential due to the direct dependence on decisions and actions but also hinders the normalization of relations between the two Koreas. The purpose of the research is to examine the dynamics of relations in the triangle ‘‘ROK (Republic of Korea) - DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) - U.S.”. The main methods of the study include analyzing the events in the triangle ‘‘ROK - DPRK - the U.S.” as well as the texts of UNSC (United Nations Security Council) resolutions on nuclear non-proliferation on the Korean peninsula. The study concludes that despite South Korea’s attempts to stabilize relations with its northern neighbor, its pro-American course in foreign policy has prevented it from making significant concessions. For today, the ROK’s foreign policy is aimed at deepening cooperation with the US and its security partners in the region. Therefore no warming in relations between the two Koreas is expected in the near future.

Despite cross-border cooperation being an object of study in the socio-humanitarian sciences, few studies comprehensively and purposefully overview its genesis, development, and transformation in historiography. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to examine the evolution of the concept of cross-border cooperation in the works of Russian and foreign researchers. Based on the principle of historicism, as well as using the methods of comparative, systemic, and content analysis, the author identifies the features of the transformation of crossborder cooperation in scientific thought. The research found that since the 20th century, the issue of cross-border cooperation has been actively studied in integration theories, paradiplomacy, and multilevel governance. In Russian and European historiography, cross-border cooperation is understood as (1) concerted actions aimed at strengthening good neighborliness and the development of border territories; (2) cooperation of authorities of neighboring states; and (3) a form of international relations. Russian and foreign approaches differ in the fact that in Russian legislation, the subjects of cross-border cooperation are state actors, while in European legislation, they are territorial communities. Russian law uses the term “crossborder cooperation,“ and in EU law there are also notions of “transboundary cooperation“ and “transnational cooperation.“ The works of Russian authors consider cross-border cooperation as an international activity of Russian regions, while European sources also analyze cooperation within the EU.