The paper presents a theoretical consideration of the basics of philosophy of law of Carl Schmitt, a famous German lawyer and thinker who is the author of a quite controversial law theory, which to this day will not cease to intrigue the professional researchers. The work approaches Schmitt?s thought in an impartial way, and conducts a constructive dialogue with his theory of law and the state, i.e. his philosophy of law, acknowledging Schmitt?s analytical results in defining the relationship between politics and law, but also criticizing his theory where it shows certain exaggerations. The paper presents a simultaneous research of Schmitt?s theory and Schmitt?s biography, trying to show the existential and political reasons why he tried to conform his theory of state and law to the totalitarian political circumstances in which he lived. The paper finally evaluates the value of Schmitt?s theory, which in a clear, descriptive and logical way distinguished two levels of legal thought, distinguishing the very level of constitution of the political-legal order where law is not, in real historical conditions, separate from politics - and the level of the system of positive legal norms itself. In addition to discussing the basic figures of Schmitt?s philosophy of law, the paper also pays attention to Schmitt?s treatment of particular legal-theoretical issues, such as the issue of the state of emergency and sovereignty.

The subject of the undertaken research is the analysis of geopolitical and geoeconomic changes in the multipolar world of the 21st century, which lead to the transformation of the world system. There is an ongoing evolution of the geostrategic position of the United States of America (USA), the rise of China, as well as the division of the world that occurred with the offensive activities of Russia and the expansion of other countries such as India, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia. The goal of the research is to emphasize, in addition to the basic geopolitical component, the importance of the geoeconomic component, as derived, in international relations, which is often less clearly visible in the background of many international conflicts and alliances. The main thesis of the paper is that dominant geostrategic powers such as the USA, China and Russia follow their long-term geopolitical and geoeconomic interests and goals putting them into conflicting or allied relations, which is again responsible for the configuration of power and the relationship between the great powers in the arena of world politics. The paper applies a multidisciplinary combined method that is based on political and economic sciences, and sometimes studies broader geopolitical processes or focuses on a narrower geoeconomic analysis of individual parameters.

Existing knowledge of the geopolitics of public health and the coronavirus pandemic indicates that states, particularly the most powerful ones (the United States, China, Russia), have used the current global crisis to strengthen their influence worldwide, in line with their geopolitical, economic, and military aspirations. Geopoliticisation of the COVID-19 vaccines have not been explored so far. Based on the qualitative analysis of the media content and statistics on the vaccines' distribution, this article makes two arguments. First, these vaccines have become an extension of foreign policy by other means. Second, geopoliticisation of the distribution of vaccine contributes to an instrumentalisation of the pandemic, raising global insecurity and the destabilisation of states and economies on the periphery and semi-periphery. Due to this new Cold War between the 'vaccine superpowers' , the world has become divided into Western and the Eastern 'vaccine-blocs'. Within this context, the chances for multilateral cooperation to counter global threats are on a downward trajectory.