In the article, authors have made an attempt to find reasons for crisis condition of Western civilization project. In particular, authors discuss the importance of: 1) non-critical absolutization of religious imperatives in secular society; 2) overestimation of European culture’s uniqueness as a civilization model; 3) underestimation of circumstances of the secularization of transcendental in Western semantic universum. Basing on the analysis authors reached conclusions concerning the level of existing risks..

Conflicts of interests of individuals, public institutions or states influence dialogues, compromises, conflict resolution and peacemaking. What is the ethical way of resolving conflicts of interests? The present text is the result of the work of four ethics experts from four countries, as well as conferences on improved training exercises; it is a synthesis of the specialists’ opinions from different countries and joint discussions of the issue by five experts. The purpose of this article is to promote in terms of ethics the further development of the SUN movement (Scaling Up Nutrition Movement) and GSO-SUN (Global Social Observatory) tools.

Today, the information economic space can be boldly divided into traditional, old and new one, which has linked the economy with the computer industry. The use of products associated with the abstract art trends is conditioned by desire to show the significance of the name and works of the great Russian artist Kandinsky. Kandinsky’s conquest of the Internet falls on the time of the computer industry. When the artist’s creative ideas reached the Internet, the use of his works became the property of producers and consumers of goods. During his life, Kandinsky himself could hardly imagine the consonance of the abstract art with computer technologies. Life has proved that perception of Kandinsky’s creative work by producers and consumers is performed through trend and the brand. An active economic life begins, creative ideas and images of Kandinsky’s paintings work in a market economy, they earn money. It is enough to type “Kandinsky” in Internet and to see that not only the name, but also his abstract art inspired industrialists, trade, marketing, designers, advertising. We speak about using Kandinsky’s paintings while organizing exhibitions, for decorating goods, packaging, design, advertising. He is interesting for scientific circles, industrial circles, advertising circles — everywhere, where the modern economic information space extends.

Opening address of editor-in-chief.

Even in conditions of reduced funding for scientific research the staff of academic institutions do not give up and do not sit idle. This is proved by personal example of the president of the Russian Academy of Sciences academician V.E. Fortov, founder of the scientific direction “dynamic physics of nonideal plasma”, studying strong shock waves and extreme states of substances. Such experiments are not at all cheap, but absolutely necessary for our country’s development. Special columnist of the “ES” magazine Natalia Leskova talks to Vladimir Evgenievich Fortov about why this is so and what the fundamental science is needed for.

The article presents results of modeling the consequences of a large asteroid’s catastrophic collision with the Earth. They confirm the necessity of concrete steps to create a means of protection against the asteroid-comet danger that threatens the very existence of mankind. Undertaken analysis of the situation in the field of space threat prevention proves that alongside with ensuring national and international security, they will contribute to developing many spheres of the state and humanity activities, including defense, civil defense and protection, science, technology, economics, politics, etc. Russian project of creating an international planetary protection system “Citadel” can serve as a basis for creating means of planetary protection. This is confirmed by inclusion of the Citadel project in the New Manhattan Project, proposed by the World Federation of Scientists.

The generation of winners goes down in history. A year ago, one of the outstanding military scientists of the twentieth century passed from this life. Anatoly Ivanovich Savin was an academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, scientific supervisor of JSC “Concern VKO “Almaz-Antey”, Hero of Socialist Labor, coryphaeus of the national defense industry complex. His name stands in line with the names of Kurchatov, Korolev, Keldysh, although it is not so well known. There are people whose contribution to the emerging and development of the Russian defense industry could not be overestimated. There are mentors, without whom it is impossible to imagine the history of the country. There are persons about whom, instead of short memorabilia, it is necessary to write a full book. All this could be told about Academician Savin. The meaning of all of its production and scientific activities was to realize the idea of maintaining a strategic equilibrium in the world, preventing global disasters and the possibility of imitating any armed conflict, especially between nuclear powers. The creation of guided jet weapons in the 1950’s, global space information and information management systems in 60’s – 70’s of the twentieth century are behind him. Trivial question, what he loves most in life, he used to meet with a laconic and simple answer: “Life!”.

The regular meeting of the Association “Analytics” for promoting analytical potential of the Individual, Society and the State, held on April 17, 2017 in the RF Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was dedicated to a very important issue — production of civilian and dual-purpose products by enterprises of the defense-industry complex. Discussions at the highest level proved that different solutions are possible here, and the expert-industrial community has got a feeling that now it’s high time to work out a point of view that should be scientifically based and at the same time should rely on the industry’s vision of these problems. The last thing should be repeating experience of the 1980–1990s in this sphere. As there are rapid changes occurring in the technological order, technologies are developing, foreign policy environment and the militarypolitical situation are extremely risky, we must somehow try to foresee the future, realizing that it is almost impossible.

The regular meeting of the Bogomolov Club, held on April 10, 2017 in the RAS Institute for Economic Strategies was dedicated to discussing the current climate changes and their impact on the population and economy of Russia through various natural disasters and catastrophes.

As evidenced by the economic theory, as well as by practical experience in our country and abroad, the key condition for overcoming the stagflation decline of the Russian economy is rapid and significant increase in investments by 30-50%. According to the RAS Institute of Economic Forecasting, the level of 5% annual increase in GDP can be achieved with an increase in the accumulation rate up to the target value set by the President of the Russian Federation at 27% of GDP by 2018. To catch up with the growth rate of the Chinese economy and to ensure the average growth rates, declared by the head of state, above the world average, the accumulation rate should be increased up to 35%. To this end, the annual growth of investments in fixed assets should be not less than 20%. The existing production facilities, occupied by half in engineering and construction, allow this. At the same time, economic growth will be achieved through increasing efficiency of the primary resources use as a result of introducing new technologies, increasing the level of primary commodities processing, advanced growth of mechanical engineering and due to production of a new technological order. The latter, provided its dynamic upgrading on an advanced technological basis, includes aircraft construction, as well as a complex of industries and technologies working for the aircraft industry. Thus, development and introducing into production of aircraft necessary for the domestic market and the markets of third countries, provide a significant synergistic effect both for the aviation industry itself and for a wide range of subcontractors. Focusing the state attention on the advanced development of the aircraft industry as a locomotive for the growth of a new technological structure retransmits the development impulse to the whole economy, will allow to achieve target goals both of increasing investment in promising areas, and in loading productive capacities, as well as providing employment through creation of new High-tech jobs. If it were not for the sabotage of the middle-level management in the aviation industry, the latter would have long ago become a point of growth. But, as A thoughtful analysis shows, such state of affairs simply does not suit many people.