Iberoamerica 2018 №4

   The issue opens with such a global problem as the climatic changes and the challenges faced by the Latin American economy. The paper “Latin American economy in the face of climate changes. New priorities” by Liudmila B. Nikolaeva concerns that in these conditions, the Latin American region has become extremely vulnerable and is being increasingly aware of the need to transform the current production and consumption paradigm, to adopt the urgent measures to mitigate the negative impact on the climate and to adapt to the new climatic conditions.

   A special section touchs on the current condition of Venezuela. In the paper “Political parties of Venezuela in the conditions of polarization” Zbigniew W. Iwanowski analyzes the stages of the formation of the current quasi-two-party system, represented by the dominant United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and the heterogeneous Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD). The author offers characteristics of these two political parties and a forecast of the increasing of the possibility of the strengthening of authoritarian tendencies in the dominant party. Whether the political crisis, which is called by the author systemic, will be overcome or not, depends on the further steps by Nicolas Maduro government. The authors of the next article “Venezuela's foreign policy in the situation of instability”, Dmitry M. Rozental and Víctor L. Jeifets assert that economic and political crisis in Venezuela has weakened foreign policy opportunities, is responsible for the pressure from the international community on the Nicholas Maduro regime and has resulted in the growing isolation in the Latin American region.  In order to reform the foreign policy and normalize the relations with the world's largest economies, in the authors’ opinion, the government is to settle down the internal disagreements and to refrain from using the international factor fighting the opposition.

   Nikolay V. Kalashnikov, the autor of the article “Cuba: authorities renewed, tasks remained”,   affirms that election of Miguel Diaz-Canel as the head of the state and the government marked the beginning of the formal end of the brothers Castro government. The transfer of authority to the young generation coincided with the serious changes in the power distribution between central and local authorities. The new government faces the difficult tasks to accelerate social-economic changes indicated by the VII party congress, to improve the Cuban socialism model.

    The Peruvian researchers Oscar Vidarte Arevalo and Juan Carlos Ladines Azalia analyze "Changes in relations between Russia and Peru (2006 - 2016): political and trade considerations". This paper deals with the evolution of the relationship between two countries, the tops and drops in these relations. It is stated that the emerging proximity was not without complications. The political relevance for Peru of the relationship with the United States of America and the European Union, the differences in economic matters between Russia and the Latin American countries, and the growing presence of the People's Republic of China in the region, have not allowed the consolidation of the link between both countries.

   In the concluding paper of the issue “Catalan conflict: its character and dynamics”,  Sergey M. Khenkin treats the separatism, the most vexed problem for the modern Spain. The author refers that in the course of development of the Catalan conflict, which passed through several stages it turned out that neither side can gain a victory over the opponent. The separatists are unable to impose their will on the Spanish state, whereas the unioinists cannot discard the fact that around half of the region’s citizens is striving towards independence. In the author’s opinion, in the foreseeable future Spain is doomed to live with the built-in destabilizer embodied by the rebellious part of Catalonia.

IBEROAMERICA №4, 2018 (october-december)

CONTENT

GLOBAL PROBLEMS AND LATIN AMERICA

Liudmila B. Nikolaeva. Latin American economy in the face of climate change. New priorities

VENEZUELA TO FACE NEW CHALLENGES

Zbigniew W. Iwanowski. Political parties of Venezuela in the conditios of polarization

Dmitry M. Rozental, Victor L. Jeifets.  Venezuela's foreign policy in the situation of instability

CUBA – PERU - RUSSIA

Nikolay V. Kalashnikov. Cuba: authorities renewed, tasks remained

Oscar Vidarte Arevalo, Juan Carlos Ladines Azalia. Changes in relations between Russia and Peru (2006 - 2016): political and trade considerations

IBERIAN CONTEXT

Sergey M. Khenkin. Catalan conflict: its character and dynamics