Relevance. The turbulence of the global economy and pressure from sanctions have become a serious challenge for the Russian economy. Industry is hit the hardest as it is involved in the international division of labor and creation of value chains, unlike other branches of material production. It is, therefore, necessary to conduct in-depth research on these processes in order to provide Russian industrial regions with effective strategies to adapt to this new geo-economic reality. Research objective is to identify trends and prospects for the development of Russian industrial regions in the context of international sanctions pressure. A particular focus is made on the case of Sverdlovsk region, which has a high concentration of mining and manufacturing enterprises. Data and methods. The study applies a systematic approach by using methods of structural, statistical and comparative analysis. Statistical materials of relevant ministries and departments of the government of Sverdlovsk region as well as the data from international databases comprise the empirical basis of the study. The results of the survey of 50 managers from 12 logistics companies of Sverdlovsk region have been analyzed as well. The survey was carried out from January, 2022 to August, 2022. Results. The study has shown the complex effects of the international economic sanctions on the trajectory and dynamics of the development of the industrial sector in Russia. The study describes the scenarios of the industrial development of Sverdlovsk region involved in the process of import substitution and transformation of logistics and value chains. Conclusions. These findings can be of interest to policy-makers on the national and regional levels as well as businesses involved in import substitution programs.

As Arab states integrate into the global digital space, they share its advantages and risks and are included in the construction of the international information security system. Considering the significant influence of the Arab world on the formation of the world political agenda and the global security system, the study of the specifics of the development of the Arab digital cluster at the present stage acquires not only academic but also political relevance. This article is devoted to the study of the current state, potential and limits of Arab countries cooperation in the field of digital security within the framework of inter-Arab cooperation in multilateral and bilateral formats, as well as interaction with the world leaders in the technological ‘race’. The analysis was based on the methodology of the Global Cybersecurity Index developed by the UN International Telecommunication Union. It includes five key parameters for assessing the readiness of modern states to repel cyberthreats: the regulatory and legal system of national cyber defense, technical capabilities, organizational structure, capacity development measures and international cooperation. Assessing the ‘digital landscape’ of the Arab states, the authors note that the political, financial, economic, historical, and cultural specifics of the Arab countries contribute to the formation of a special environment in the region for countering cyber threats and solving cyber security problems. On the one hand, the digital challenge is forcing the Arab states to overcome some differences, giving a certain impetus to integration processes. On the other hand, the ‘catch-up’ type, and spasmodic dynamics of the digital industry development in the region, as well as the heterogeneity and inconsistency inherent in the Arab world, combined with the traditionally high degree of conflict and the strong influence of external factors, create a heterogeneous and fragmented environment that prevents the formation of a collective response to challenges of the digital age.

The article analyzes the stages and reasons for involvement of the Islamic world in digital wars and the cyber arms race. Digital threats are carried not only by Muslim states that claim to be regional leaders in the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, but also by non-state actors – groups of highly skilled hackers, hacktivists, «lone wolves», radical extremist Islamist groups. The realities of the digital age significantly enhance the heterogeneity and inconsistency of the modern Islamic world. It puts on the international agenda the question of increasing global cooperation in the cyber arm control process as well as the settlement of the most pressing issues of Muslim countries and communities.

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 Unported License, permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

The article analyzes the Chinese approach to risk assessment for the “One Belt, One Road” Initiative (OBOR) in the context of the 2020 global pandemic. Applying for the Middle Eastern case, the authors reveal the contradictory impact of the pandemic crisis on the OBOR international cooperation. Chinese experts consider the main risks for the OBOR Middle East projects implementation are following: increase in the total external debt of the region’s states; significant reduction of their financial resources; interest decrease of international financial institutions in investment support of the OBOR Initiative as a whole; as well as deterioration of the foreign policy atmosphere for certain regional actors. At the same time, according to Beijing, along with the forced decline of China’s economic activity in the Middle East, the pandemic challenge has created new opportunities and perspectives for Chinese regional projects, and also allowed Beijing to significantly expand the toolkit of so-called horizontal diplomacy to promote its integration initiative in this parts of the world. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the risk management mechanisms developed by Beijing for the Middle East OBOR projects. Among the most significant achievements of Chinese policy in the Middle East during the pandemic is the promotion of the Health Silk Road and Digital Silk Road projects. In general, China’s Middle East policy in the context of the 2020 pandemic crisis has confirmed the high effectiveness of the basic principles of modern China’s foreign policy — pragmatism, flexibility, multi-vector approach, and so on. The study was carried out within the framework of a systematic approach and based on official documents and analytical materials of Chinese origin.