Vol. 12 No. 1 (34) (2021)

The article is dedicated to the study of the issue of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide in the German domestic political agenda. The article focuses on the discussions in the German legislature, as it is the most active German political body to discuss the issue of recognizing of Armenian Genocide and condemning genocides. The importance of the topic is further emphasized by the fact that Germany was an ally of Turkey during World War I, so the question arises as to whether Germany does not share the guilt of the crime committed by its ally. We believe that this is one of the possible reasons that has kept Germany from recognizing the Armenian Genocide for a long time. Turkey, on the other hand, is one of Germany's most important economic and political partners. There are several million Turks living in Germany: Germany cannot ignore these circumstances. However, it is a fact that Germany has honestly acknowledged the atrocities committed by it during World War II, a line that is now reflected in its official policy. Germany also has high-level relations with Armenia, and the issue of recognizing the Armenian Genocide has always been on the agenda of those relations.

The article presents the historical development of public diplomacy. The study presents the development of the theory of public diplomacy in the context of the transformation of the main constituent elements. In this context, the differences and similarities between public diplomacy and propaganda, cultural diplomacy and strategic communication were considered. The role of non-governmental actors in the development of public diplomacy was also noted.

The article is dedicated to the study of the dynamics and ways of developing Georgia-US economic relations during the presidency of Mikheil Saakashvili in Georgia. The motives for the formation and strengthening of close economic relations between the parties are discussed in details, as well as the success achieved as a result of the frequent meetings of senior officials of the two countries. US Presidents George W. Bush's and Barack Obama's administrations' foreign economic and political approaches to Georgia, especially since the Rose Revolution in 2013, have been explored and studied. The role and significance of the bilateral documents on financial and economic relations signed between the parties were analyzed. Various facts have been observed that have hampered the multifaceted and balanced development of the Georgian economy. Particular attention is paid to the development of the economic relations between Georgia and the Russian Federation. The article also provides a comparative analysis of the volume of trade turnover (export and import) by year.

One of the guarantees of the success of any state's foreign policy is the activity of the country's parliamentary diplomacy. Armenia is no exception in this respect. As it is known, Eurasian integration is one of the important directions of Armenia's foreign policy, besides the Republic of Armenia is the founding state of the Eurasian Economic Union along with the Russian Federation, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. But since its inception in 2015, Since January 1, 2009, there has been no Eurasian Integration Committee in the National Assembly of Armenia, which has created a great deal of difficulty in complying with the laws of the Member States of the Union. 2019 The Standing Committee on Regional and Eurasian Integration was set up alongside other committees in the post-revolutionary parliament, which coincided with the presidency of the Republic of Armenia in the EAEU. The article mainly focuses on the annual activity of the Commission itself, as well as on the issues that exist at the legislative level between Member States of the Union.

The choice of an effective government form is one of the most important issues facing a state that has embarked on the path of democratic development. A comprehensive study of the issues, like mechanism of parliamentary formation, mixed and proportional-majority electoral systems within the framework of parliamentary government model deserves special attention. In this case, the example of the leading countries, particularly Germany is essential that have created a stable basis for the development of the country. Germany's successful experience can be useful also for the Republic of Armenia (RA), which has adopted a new parliamentary form of government. The study of foreign experience can contribute to the development and enhancement of the role of parliament in the RA.

The article discusses the policy types theory of the American political theorist T. Lowi: in particular, four types of public policy proposed by the author are carefully studied: redistributive, regulatory and constituent policies, and critical approaches of other political theorists (P. Steinberger, J. Anderson, A. Kellow) to the theory are discussed. The article also presents other approaches to the interpretation of such concepts as the political environment, the political process, the outputs and outcomes of public policy.

The article examines the issue of the legitimacy of political power and argues that legitimacy is presented as an expression of faith, it stems from citizens' belief that the activities of political institutions are justified. Based on the above, it should be noted that there is no country in the world where the existing government is completely legitimate for the entire population. Legitimacy can never reach the level of unanimous recognition, because different groups and individuals do not equally recognize the authority of political power. Apparently, legitimacy and the ability to govern are equally important, because the crisis of legitimacy is a situation in which distrust of political institutions calls into question their existence.

The key element of modern China's "soft power" is culture. In the mid-2000s the Chinese government declared a policy of strengthening the potential of cultural "soft power", which might be not only an instrument for forming a positive attitude towards the country on the foreign audience, but also a way to mobilize Chinese people as well. This policy should help strengthen China's "soft power" and extend its influence on the international arena. Currently two approaches of China's "soft power" have emerged among Chinese researchers: "cultural" and "political". However, despite the differences between them, the Chinese political and intellectual elite have an intention to combine politics and culture in the "soft power" concept and transform "soft power" inside the country into the economic, political and cultural power. In addition, there is understanding of that politics and culture complement each other and form the combined strength of China's "soft power", where culture is the core, and politics is the instrument, which translates the cultural content.