AMERICAN GLOBAL PROJECT AS A THREAT TO EUROPEAN DEMOCRACY

A. V. Belokobylsky, V. S. Levicky

AMERICAN GLOBAL PROJECT AS A THREAT TO EUROPEAN
DEMOCRACY

Annotation. The article proposes to supplement the world-system methodology with ideas about the central role of ontological beliefs for the formation of a unified civilizational space of world systems in general and the space of Western civilization in particular. Global transformations, which are happening, today can be described (using Heideggerian terminology) as a change of the “time of World Picture” by the “time of the Construction of the World”. This transformation is accompanied by a change in the entire landscape of social practices and legitimations, including religious, political, economic, technological, etc., regions of reality.

The article focuses on changing the cultural place of religion and the type of religiosity, which in the beginning of the XXI century bring to life anti-Western religiously motivated global development projects; in particular, there are several variants of the Islamic project, as well as Chinese and Russian ones. Each of them denies the right of Western values ​​and civilizational strategies to global hegemony and promotes its own value-ideological platforms. Within the framework of this approach, the features of the American civilization project are analyzed, and the changes in the rhetoric of the American politicians after November 9, 2001 (which is becoming increasingly saturated with religious symbols and allusions) are marked as the beginning of a new stage of globalization - the competition of religiously motivated civilization development projects.

The changes in US foreign policy under the slogan “America First!”, including new versions of the basic documents, like the National Security Strategy, points to the fact that we are witnessing the design of a US anti-Western project like the Chinese, Russian and Islamic ones. It is inspired by the semi-religious mission of protecting Western values, the exclusive owner of which is declared to be American democracy, but aimed at promoting particular national interests in the world in general and in Europe in particular. The United States, while remaining nominally western, is more likely to be religiously grounded cultural recipients of European ideas. Considering the power of the first economy of the world, the American alternative should be considered as the main threat to European democracy.

Keywords: reality, global project, American exceptionality, religiosity, human rights.