Yakovenko N. European Integrational Policy of Great Britain and International Factors for Its Formation (the second half of the XX - beginning of the XXI centuries).

In this paper Great Britain is placed as an international actor into a new system of international relations having three-sphered international environment - the region (Europe), the surroundings (the USA and the Commonwealth of Nations) and the marginal zone. Britain's relationship with the European Communities has been one of the dominant issues of British politics in the last decades. Here the process of evolution of UK's European integrational policy during the second half of the XX - early XXI c. is studied. The research is done on the transformation of basic concepts used by official London while elaborating its external political course during the period mentioned above. Main stages of Britain's EU (EC) membership are shown. The UK position towards EMU and Britain's role in European defence cooperation are studied. The impact of international factors in the face of US-UK "special relations" and the Commonwealth of Nations on Britain's integrational policy is revealed. The process of evolution ofUS-UK relations during the second half of the XX c. - early XXI c. is described where the significance of "special relations" is stressed considering their role in special Britain's position among EU and NATO partners. Synchronizing of London and Washington antiterroristic activities after 11 of September 2001 is demonstrated. The factor of the Commonwealth is shown to be historically rooted, the process of Empire - Commonwealth transformation is shown. Great influence of the Commonwealth while Britain's joining EC is revealed with gradual diminishing of this factor in the following years and its present comparative insignificance in Britain's European policy. The cooperation between UK and Ukraine is mentioned. Its potential activization is grounded. A number of theoretical theses, generalizations and conclusions are formulated to show the essence of processes of UK foreign political course formation.