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2017 Asia and Africa today

SYRIA: ARGUMENT OF AIR-SPACE FORCES by Alexei M. VASILIEV, member, Russian Academy of Sciences; Editor-in-Chief, “Asia and Africa today” journal ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )
In the final part of his article, the author analyzes the actions of the Russian side in Syria in the period after, as V.Putin put it, "the main military goals of the operation of the VCS have been achieved," conditions for a political inter-Syrian dialogue have been created and "the main part" of the Russian armed forces has been withdrawn.
Then follows the text of the author's interview with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, M.L. Bogdanov, who tells in detail how, in the framework of the mutual understanding of the International Support Group of Syria, the UN Security Council Resolution 2254 was born on the basis of the so-called "Vienna Declarations," why, in the process of preparing this resolution, "we were all together - Russia along with America, the Turks, Arabs, Iranians".
Further Russia's moves caused by a "blow in the back" when a Turkish fighter hit a Russian Su-24M bomber are examined.
Analysis of Turkey's policy towards Syria is given by the author on the materials of another of his interviews – with an academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences V.Naumkin, senior political adviser of the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Syria Staffan de Mistura. It is emphasized that there is no alternative to the political process.
Keywords: Syria, IGIL, results of the military operations of the Russian aerospace forces, UN Security Council Resolution 2254, the inter-Syrian political dialogue, a "blow in the back", the battles for Aleppo

STRATEGIC MANEUVER OF XI JINPING by Vladimir F. BORODICH, PhD (Juridical Sciences), Leading Research Fellow, Institute of Far Eastern Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )
    The internal political component of the development strategy of China is considered, the focus of attention is the actions of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping, on the initiative and under the guidance of which a strategic maneuver is carried out aimed at clearing the system of political governance of the country from excessive political influence of the shadow circuit of power. It notes the adherence of the leadership of China to the traditions of political governance - the Legist and Confucian. Appeal to another tradition - the concentration of the first person of the state of the full power in its hands - is explained as the desire of Xi Jinping to achieve stated goal, without waiting for the formation of the necessary institutional conditions.
Keywords: strategy, development, governance, shadow policy

ECHO OF SUMMER WAR IN THE GAZA STRIP by Andrei A. ERMAKOV, PhD (History) ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ); and Vladimir M. MOROZOV, PhD (History), Vice-Rector of MGIMO-University of the MFA ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )
    In the article attention is paid to the military preparations of the radicals of the Gaza strip in the aftermath of large-scale hostilities of summer 2014. The Emphasis is made on underground infrastructure and the missiles of the Palestinians. The presence of cross-border tunnels between Gaza and Israel carries a significant potential for escalation of the protracted conflict. The existence of cross-border tunnels between the Palestinian enclave and Egypt also poses an immediate threat to Israel's security. The authors believe that one of the priority directions in preparation for a new round of conflict with Gaza militants for Israel was the development of the capacity to cope with underground infrastructure. It is noted that control over the Gaza strip is significant for HAMAS. The rule of this organization in Gaza is one of the constants of the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis.
Keywords: the State of Israel, the Gaza Strip, HAMAS, underground infrastructure, rockets

INDIA STAKES ON DIASOPORA by Eseniya S. KOVALENKO, Independent Researcher ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )
    The article explores the influence of the Indian diaspora on the socio-economic development and foreign policy of India. It dwells on the growth drivers of the Indian community abroad. The accent is made on studying the challenges and opportunities of the diaspora in the US and the countries of the Persian Gulf.
Keywords: India, Indian diaspora, migration

VC INDUSTRY IN MENA COUNTRIES AND RUSSIAN PROSPECTS by Pavel G. GOULKIN, Business and Investment Analyst. Russia ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )
    Survey of the current state of the emerging venture capital industry in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The investment potential, peculiarities, achievements, problems and difficulties encountered by venture capital investors in the region are analyzed. Cases of successful raising of Arab private direct investments for Russian projects are exemplified.
Keywords: Middle East, North Africa, Russia, venture, investment, entrepreneur, capital

PAKISTAN: SOME FEATURES OF THE SOCIETY AND ITS SOCIAL MINDSET. SOCIOLOGICAL ESSAY FROM KARACHI by Maria V. KHAYTSEVA, Research Associate, Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )
Giving a brief description of the social landscape of Pakistan’s most populated city, Karachi, author has made an attempt to establish the link between peculiarities of social upbringing in the special model of a Pakistani Family and what influence this mindset of the whole society has on their further attitude towards the State and its institutions. Author’s main thesis is that a Pakistani Family, being a building block of a bigger social group, Community, ingrains with the minds of its members a special system of social relations and behavior in public space. This system of relationship going much further from private life of its members reflects the social structure in the whole and thus neutralizes the social actions of the State.
Keywords: Pakistani society, modernization, Pakistani Family and Community and the State.

MYANMAR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE LATE XX - EARLY XXI CENTURIES by Irina V. KOKUSHKINA, PhD (Economics), Senior Lecturer, St. Petersburg State University ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )
The article considers the peculiarities and problems of Myanmar economic development and the factors under the influence of which these processes occur. The author shows the most important features and characteristics of the reforms as well as modern trends in the country's economic policy in the early 21st century and its place in the world economy and international economic relations.
 Keywords: Myanmar, economy, investment, Asia, economic reforms, cooperation

HUMAN RIGHTS: A VIEW FROM CHINA by Anatoly V. TSVYK, PhD (History), Department of Theory and History of International Relations, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )
The article highlights the issue of human rights in China, which remains one of the most actual topics in the relationship between China and the Western countries. In the author’s opinion, the specific character of the concept of human rights in China was influenced by the traditions of such philosophical teachings as Confucianism and Legism, as well as the Marxist understanding of human rights.
The author considers the content of the concept of human rights in China nowadays and comes to the conclusion that the understanding of human rights in the country differs in many respects from the liberal concept of human rights that has developed in the West.
Keywords: China, Germany, China’s foreign policy, strategic partnership, China-Germany relationship

THE IRANIAN PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN-2017: DECISION OF ELITES OR CHOICE OF PEOPLE? by Nikita A. FILIN, PhD (History), Associate Professor, Russian State University for the Humanities; Research Fellow, Institute for African Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ); and Vladimir O. KOKLIKOV, Lecturer, Moscow State Linguistic University ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )
The Iranian presidential elections, held on 19 May 2017, demonstrated that a significant part of the country’s population supported the incumbent president Hassan Rouhani course for further liberalization of the state’s political and economic policies, resulting in his resounding victory over other candidates. Nevertheless, the election campaign showed that his opponents, belonging to the conservative wing, had a strong support of the people who voted in favour of Ebrahim Raisi
Keywords: Iran, presidential elections, political system, Shiism, Islam, election campaign

COMMEMORATION OF GHANA'S 60TH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY by Тatyana S. DENISOVA, PhD (History), Head of the Centre for Tropical African Studies, Institute for African Studies, RAS ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ); and Petr I. KUPRIYANOV, PhD (Economics), Senior Research Fellow, Institute for African Studies, RAS ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )
    On 6 March 2017, the Republic of Ghana celebrated a landmark event – the 60th independence anniversary. On 15 March 2017, the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences held a commemorative  meeting of the academic council to mark the event. The meeting was attended by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Ghana to the Russian Federation Mr. Kodzo Kpoku Alabo, Deputy Director of the Department of Africa of the Russian Foreign Ministry A.V. Surikov, representatives of diplomatic missions of African countries, Russian Africanists, and Ghanaians studying in Russia. The academic part of the meeting focused on problems of modern socio-economic and political development of Ghana, as well as on issues of Russian-Ghanaian cooperation in the political, economic, and cultural spheres.
Keywords: Republic of Ghana, Russian Federation, 60th Independence Anniversary, economic and political development, diplomatic relations, political and economic cooperation

FREE LIKE A TRANSCENDENTAL BIRD by Victor A. POGADAEV, PhD (History), Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )
In the old days, watching the flying kites was a special kind of meditation, they were launched to scare off evil forces, to ensure good harvest and health, and by the change the tone of "musical" kites people judged the change of winds that promised the arrival of the rainy season. They were also used for military purposes. For example, with the help of kites, the distance between enemy armies or the walls of an enemy castle was measured. Today in Malaysia, festivals are held every year, where thousands of different models of these light paper masterpieces are demonstrated in flight. The launching of a kite is far from being a child's play, the real kites are made and competed in the launching by grown-ups. Modern Malay kites are real works of art. They are especially loved by the inhabitants of the states of Kelantan and Trengganu on the East coast of the Malacca Peninsula.
Keywords: kites, culture of Malaysia, leisure of Malays

GENDER PROBLEMATICS IN EMIGRANT URDU LITERATURE: SHORT STORIES BY AMJAD by Lyudmila A. VASILYEVA, PhD (Philology), Leading Research Fellow, Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )
Since the nineteenth century the theme of women’s position in family and society has been developing in Urdu literature. Gaining new scopes and dimensions, the gender problem has become one of the most relevant topics in world literatures, including the one created by the Urdu-speaking diaspora. The writers discuss problems of major importance like women’s equality within the family, their contribution to social life and creation of cultural and literary values etc. They oppose violence and prejudices that victimize women nowadays as well. The specificities of the gender problematics and their creative reflection in Urdu literature bear a clear national stamp and at the same time depend upon an individual author’s views on the men-women relations.
 The short stories by Amjad discuss a whole complex of gender problems relevant to the most important spheres of life of Indo-Pakistan migrants to Great Britain..
Keywords: gender problematics, Urdu speaking Diaspora’s literature, short stories, Amjad

OUR CLOSE NEIGHBOR
Review of the book: M.L.Bogdanov. Moscow – Cairo: Ups and Downs of Cooperation / Ed. A.M.Vasiliev. Moscow, 2017. 334 p. (In Russ.)
Vladimir A. ISAEV, Dr. Sc. (Economy), Institute of Asian and African Studies, Lomonosov Moscow State University ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )
Keywords: Russia, Egypt, cooperation, policy, economy, problems, success