Russia and the World in the Context of the Political Pandemic

The article is based on the reflections caused by the scientific discussion that unfolded at the meeting of the Fourth Saturday Political Science Readings at the Russian Presidential Academy, which are traditionally held in conjunction with the Russian Political Science Association and the Academy of Political Science. The focus of the meeting was on the analysis of the situation in Russia and in the world in the context of the political pandemic. A wide range of domestic and foreign scientists got interested in the topic. The meeting was attended by more than 70 people from 13 cities of the Russian Federation - Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Bryansk, Vladimir, Ekaterinburg, Yoshkar-Ola, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Pskov, Rostov-on-Don, Sevastopol, Yaroslavl, as well as from Donetsk, graduate students and teachers from Bulgaria, Macedonia, Ukraine, and Nigeria. The presentations were made by well-known experts in the field of economics, political management and international relations. The analysis showed, firstly, that the strategic forecast made long ago by a number of well-known European andAmerican universities and foundations predicted the emergence of a global pandemic with its political and economic consequences and inevitability of a new world order formation; secondly, the coronavirus only exacerbated the problems that had matured long ago and are associated with the constantly growing consumption, with natural resources depletion and with the extreme complexity of the political management object, which the governing elites cannot cope with. Against this background, all kinds of concepts of the future have emerged: "democratic fascism", the new "normality", simplification of the management object by controlling and digitalizing its life and activities, etc. The role of multinational companies, which are enriched by such pandemics, is increasing; medium and small businesses are losing a lot, which means that the middle class is decreasing; the role of intergovernmental organizations such as the UN, the European Union, and, especially, international NGOs, whose opinion is not taken into account today when making important political decisions, is weakening. In this regard, the following questions are raised: what are the political prospects for Russia and the world as a whole to cope with the pandemic and the increasingly complex management tasks, what is the meaning of the "new realism" and what can it lead to