The article deals with topical issues of global confrontation in the modern world, contemporary Russian foreign policy and its context. The author concentrates on the problems of the Middle East settlement and the role of Russia in this process. At the same time, the article provides the analysis, which helps to understand what is the political choice of the US leadership and how it threatens Russia. In the first place, it is clear that the US is not going to quit the Middle East and will maintain its presence there. The strategy of undermining the national states of the Arab world, and the creation of conditions that will not allow these nation states take shape, also remains the same. US is interested in containment of Russia in the Middle East and throughout the world. The author draws this conclusion on the basis of the analysis of the discourse of the US politicians and political commentators. The findings are of direct relevance to the safety of modern Russia and its place in the international arena. The purpose of containment is not to allow Russia to consolidate its efforts in establishing peace and stability in the post-Soviet region.

The article gives a brief general description of the CPSU Twentieth Congress, with the main emphasis on the N.S. Khrushchev’s "secret" report concerning Stalin’s “personality cult” and its consequences, on importance of the Congress decisions for the country and the world at large and their impact on the state and development of the world communist movement. It is shown how the problem was presented in the Russian historiography during the last quarter of a century. The perception of the CPSU Twentieth Congress decisions by the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, which was then at the helm of the country and society, is explored. The article traces evolution of the views of the leadership of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia in 1956, on how to implement the decisions of the CPSU Twentieth Congress on the cult of Stalin's personality, so as not to shake the foundations of the existing socialist system in Czechoslovakia based on the Soviet model. The article pinpoints internal and external factors that by the end of 1956 brought the Czechoslovak authorities back to the help of "strong hand" policy.

In the second part of the article the author comes to extensively consider the intricate diplomatic play staged at the Karlowitz congress scene. Hobbled by the absence of the tsar`s update instructions Procopius Voznitsin had to improvise at his own risk. But due to long experience and acute intuition Russian delegate contrived to avoid the traps set by his European counterparts.

The lifting the Soviet Communist Party of the monopoly of power started the nationalistic desintegration movements in some of the union republics. Because the economic and financial crisis did reduce the influence of the central government President Gorbachev did try to receive a massive financial aid from developed western powers (G-7) to subsidize market oriented reforms. After the failure of this plan , the conspiratorial attempt was made to replace the USSR with the loose voluntary union of the sovereign states by the signing the new treaty which would replace the current Constitution. Ukraine, Belarus and few other republics did not plan to sign a new treaty. The objection to this plan by the government of the USSR, the speaker of the Supreme Soviet and the Chairman of the State bank led to their confrontation with Gorbachev and Yeltsyn.

The ideological views of the National union of the new generation, the Russian emigrant organization in the 1930’s, are analysed in this article. The concept “solidarism”, which had been the basis of the program, is articulated in this article. Its historical ideological sources are shown in this work. The Union was formed in 1930 in Yugoslavia, advocated the overthrow of the Bolshevik government and had offices in many countries.

The political culture of the French revolution appropriated the ideas of Enlightenment. Owing to the evolution of natural and exact sciences the enforced confidence in an infinite capacity of human reason (rationalism) made possible not only activity in acquaintance and direction for social life but even the creation of an ideal state («kingdom of Reason»). The moral order replaced the religion as a main element of spiritual unity in a new society. The “virtue” represented in this way the principal category of social and political life; it was adopted by revolutionaries for their theory and practice.

In the final part of the article A.K.Voronskii’s political persecution is discussed, as well as investigative cases, that reveal harassment mechanism employed during the Stalinist era. The published archival excerpt from investigation file opened in 1937, contains a detailed description by Voronsky of the party and literary figures whom the authorities considered part of the Trotskyist opposition. Despite the origins of the document, its data does not contradict our information from alternative sources. Just the assessments are radically different. What was the legal factional activity in the second half of the 1920s, in 1937 already was treated as a grave crime against the Bolshevik Party. The new document, which is introduced into scientific circulation, will help researchers understand the intricacies of political and literary nature relating to the “Pereval” journal, where Voronsky was one of the founders.