Political Science and Security Studies Journal

National Interests as a Mechanism for Formulating Intelligence Tasks

Yurii Semeniuk — 2026-01-03

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of changes in the geopolitical and geo-economic environment resulting from the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and their impact on the transformation of the international security landscape. The essence of national interests is examined as a multidimensional category shaped by historical, political, economic, and civilizational factors, and their role in the development of a geocivilizational strategy of the state is substantiated. Particular attention is paid to the evolution of approaches to the interpretation of national interests within realist and liberal-idealist paradigms of international relations. Key trends in the formation of a new security architecture are identified under conditions of intensified strategic competition among major global actors, the escalation of hybrid threats, and the acceleration of the technological revolution, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence. The study demonstrates that national interests function as a fundamental mechanism for shaping intelligence tasks, determining priorities, instruments, and directions of intelligence activities in contemporary conditions. The article concludes that the profound transformation of the global security environment necessitates a reassessment of the role of intelligence services in the emerging international order.

An Investigative History of Russian Speech Manipulation Strategies in Republican Discourse

Aaron Helmbrecht — 2026-01-03

Donald Trump’s sophisticated use of speech manipulation strategies has inspired numerous research studies. O.I. Nazarenko and O.Ye. Nesterenko (2023) looked beyond Donald Trump at the Republican Party at large and found a pattern of manipulative effect in Republican discourse supporting Russia in the Russian-Ukrainian war. This raises many important questions for researchers. What is the political motivation for Republicans to side with Russia against Ukraine? How did this come to be? To answer these questions, this article presents the first history of Russian speech manipulation strategies in Republican discourse. The investigation traced the origin to conservative principles introduced by William F. Buckley Jr. and Barry Goldwater. Pragmatic analysis and critical discourse analysis of Republican discourse identified manipulative strategies and techniques aligning with Russian thinking of reflexive control connected across speakers and generations. This exploratory study supports the need for further speech manipulation research of Republican discourse from a historical perspective.

Analysis of Approaches and Technologies for Conducting Cognitive Warfare in Modern Conditions

Oleksandr Kin — 2025-12-31

The article provides a military-political analysis of the cognitive dimension of modern hybrid warfare as a key element in the transformation of contemporary conflicts within the digital environment. The purpose of the study is to generalize approaches to the formation and implementation of the concept of cognitive warfare and to identify the main technologies and mechanisms of cognitive influence under current international confrontations. The methodological framework is based on doctrinal analysis, an interdisciplinary approach, comparative analysis of information and cognitive warfare concepts, and the examination of strategic documents and analytical materials of NATO and leading international institutions. The study demonstrates that cognitive warfare emerges at the intersection of military, informational, and psychological practices and is implemented through the deliberate construction of thinking patterns, causal relationships, and behavioral responses of individuals and social groups. Particular attention is paid to the influence of metamodern information reality, digital platforms, and artificial intelligence on the scale and intensity of cognitive operations. It is argued that the use of disinformation, manipulative narratives, and AI-driven technologies transforms the cognitive space into a distinct domain of confrontation aimed at undermining trust, political stability, and democratic processes. The article concludes that cognitive warfare has become a systemic factor of hybrid conflicts and requires further research, particularly regarding the disinformation aspects of artificial intelligence use.

The Role of Central Asia in Modern Geopolitics

Serhii Strilchuk — 2025-12-31

The relevance of this article is primarily determined by the rapidly growing significance of Central Asia (CA) in contemporary international relations, serving as a crossroads of interests for the world’s major actors — Russia, the USA, China, the EU, Turkey, etc. — and, simultaneously, as a field of interaction, mutual penetration, and clash of values among the world’s major civilizations and political systems. Central Asia is not only a key region on the world map, the control of which allows for the management of global hydrocarbon transit and other strategic raw materials for the largest economies (primarily China) and, consequently, influences their economic growth, overall power, and directions of expansion. Central Asia is a crossroads of civilizations, control over which, as believed for centuries, enables dominance over the world. This exceptional geopolitical significance of the region remains relevant today.

Firstly, the importance of the Central Asian and Caspian region as one of the most rapidly developing areas for global hydrocarbon extraction and transportation is increasing sharply.
Secondly, the Central Asian region is already increasingly becoming a potential arena for clashes of interests among global players.

Overall, despite a certain degree of existing research on issues related in one way or another to the role and position of Central Asia in the system of international relations, the conceptual, institutional, and technological aspects of the transformation of international relations in the region remain underexplored in both domestic and foreign political science. On one hand, there is a solid methodological foundation and a substantial body of empirical material for studying the position of Central Asia in the international system. On the other hand, many important questions in this area still require theoretical reflection. Furthermore, the formation of positions on specific aspects or issues of the study is directly influenced by the current state and ongoing development of the situation around the region and its main actors.

The object of this study is the Central Asian region, which today serves as a center where the geopolitical, military-strategic, and economic interests of major powers — Russia, USA, EU, China, and Turkey — intersect.

The subject of the study is the political configuration of international relations in Central Asia, arising from the competition among the leading world powers — Russia, USA, EU, China, and Turkey — for political influence in the region and control over its strategic resources, as well as the foreign policy and relations of the Central Asian states with these actors.

Accordingly, based on the object and subject of the study, the aim of this article is to determine the role and position of the Central Asian region in the system of contemporary international relations in the context of the active pursuit of national interests by the leading global powers in the region.