Sotnikova K. Methodological aspects of analyzing the conflict potential of Ukraine's European and Euroatlantic integration processes

Dissertation is targeted to determine basic methodological tools for analyzing the conflict potential of integration processes, particularly factors, that are able to determine a conflict nature of relations of the key subjects, whose interests are related to the realization of Ukraine's integration strategies, and whose actions might have an impact on the dynamics and character of these processes. Systems approach had been chosen as the fundamental methodological directive. It serves as a basis for the analysis of international relations and provides a theoretical footing for the construction of structural models of interactions among main participants of integration processes. "Conflict" is considered hereunder as a certain condition of a social system when within its framework the influence of internal or external factors causes a number of structural changes and the origin of a disbalance. This disbalance blocks the preceding way of this system's self-preservation, impedes the achievement of its goal. Providing the analysis of Ukraine's integration strategies the author regards them as a cause of structural changes at 2 main system levels: the state as a separate system and the system of international relations, for which the state is one of constituent elements. Main characteristics and signs which let us define the examined situation as a conflict thereupon are as follows. 1) The state when political forces interplay in a way, which is harmful for the stability of country's political system and hampers the progressive development of the country. 2) Internal situation in the country, which determines the decreasing dynamics of integration policy, puts in doubt the firmness of this foreign policy vector. 3) Cases of a disbalance within the structure of Ukraine's interaction within other elements of the system of international relations, which complicate the processes of adhesion the EU and NATO. In particular, the issues examined from this point of view, are: specific character of Ukraine's neutrality question; internal political integration-related processes; relations with NATO, the European Union and the Russian Federation. Also author elaborates the basic principles for the construction of amalgamated models for the analysis of interaction among the elements of different systems' levels and demonstrated both the logic of transformational processes and the specificity of converting such systems from the conflict condition into conflict-free ones.