NEWTIMES

The 70th anniversary of NATO was solemnly celebrated in Washington. Celebrations took place against a background of controversial statements. Disagreements among the member states have led to a series of events, which prompted experts and analysts to make forecasts, including on the state of U.S.-Turkey relations. But for some reason one point is disregarded – the United States is now at loggerheads with NATO members. Washington`s stance forced France and Germany to come up with an initiative to form a single European army. In this context, Washington`s motive for unfounded claims against Ankara seems understandable. On the other hand, the role of the Russian factor should not be downplayed. In this article, we will focus on several important aspects of the geopolitical relations among superpowers in the context of the 70th anniversary of the North Atlantic Alliance.

Meetings between the high military leadership of NATO and Russia in Baku where they discuss global security issues are becoming a regular occasion. NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe Curtis Scaparrotti and Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Valery Gerasimov came together in Baku again, which was met normally. The two generals discussed global military developments. Russia expressed concern over NATO`s deploying its military contingents near its borders. They also exchanged views over the military and political situation in Ukraine, the Balkans and the Middle East. Experts analyze political, geopolitical and military reasons behind the decision to hold the meeting in the capital of Azerbaijan. President Ilham Aliyev gave the best explanation. So we would like to give an insight into the geopolitical importance of the Baku meeting in the context of the President`s assessment.

The problems faced by the European Union in the past few years encouraged the emergence of several scenarios for the bloc`s future. Experts give different forecasts, with many of them being pessimistic. Leaders of the 27 states who gathered in Rome to celebrate the European Union`s 60th anniversary signed the Rome Declaration. The document features a number of interesting points relating to the future of the organization. A deeper look at the declaration reveals that the EU is, in fact, on the verge of new transformations. But the main point here is that there is considerable uncertainty about the essence of these changes. The reason is that the European Union is now facing serious problems.

The issue of participation of our head of state at the summit dedicated to nuclear security was finally brought to a close.

Advances in science and technology contribute to progress for the humankind on many issues. In general, however, this factor is also manifested in the emergence of new threats. In particular, we witness the accomplishments in the information technology field used for malign purposes. Experts already use the new term – cyberwarfare. This phenomenon refers to disabling of certain assets using virtual means, implying new level and scale of the information warfare. It is no secret that this factor constitutes a threat to the entire world. Therefore, we believe that is it the right moment to give it a profound thought.

The term cyberspace is believed to have been first introduced by William Gibson in his roman titled "Burning Chrome" (1984). In the modern sense, the cyberspace defines an open environment used by the computers and computer memories. According to the French philosopher Pierre Levy, cyberspace is a smooth, distinctively precise and interactive space that can be processed virtually, in real time. This space enables reception, transmission, modeling and registration of the information.

Technological advances in cyberspace, an area where countries have started to compete in a manner similar to other domains (e.g., land, sea, air and space) as well as a growing dependence on digital networks have compelled world powers to develop their capabilities in this domain as well. In the 21st century, cyberspace has become a decisive arena for modern warfare and ''cyber influence is an ongoing source of power in the international security arena.'' At the same time, a growing number of Internet users and the increased reliance of economic and social systems on networking have created more direct threats to countries. This essay highlights major current problems in this sphere and proposes the UN's potential role in maintaining international peace and security in cyber domain.