Reconceptualization of the theoretical legacy of V.L. Tsymbursky: political legitimation in the context of digitalization of international relations

Abstract

The aim of the article is to reconceptualize the political science heritage of V.L. Tsymbursky in the context of digitalization of legitimation, international relations and geopolitics. At the same time, political science reconceptualization was originally understood as a refinement, adjustment of the previous political science conceptual schemes in the changed conditions. The principles of discourse analysis of three analyzed arrays of specialized literature (works of the Tsymbursky himself, studies of other authors on the works of Tsymbursky, works in the field of legitimation and digitalization) and Case Study of modern facts of legitimation of political regimes in the context of digitalization of international relations were used as a basic methodological toolkit for reconceptualization. The analysis made it possible to conditionally divide the geopolitical schemes of a political scientist into «island» and «cyclical» schemes, as well as highlight a specific scheme of «fact-recognition». Reconceptualization of the «Island of Russia» and «Great Limitroph» schemes is determined by the possibility of adapting to the analysis of the phenomenon of digital sovereignty associated with the consolidation of «island» features of regimes in the information space and the conditions of information wars of regimes in limitrophic countries. It has been determined that the schemes «Abduction of Europe» and «Extra-long military cycles» can be useful in identifying the correlations of crises of legitimizing formulas with constitutional cycles and cycles of foreign policy activity of the regimes. In parallel, it was found that the most important, umbrella, interdisciplinary nature is precisely the «fact-recognition» scheme. It allows you to link the analysis of digitalization of international relations, sovereignty with the theory of legitimation. As conclusions, it is indicated that the digitalization of international relations has led to an exaggerated role of external legitimation of the regime, «sovereignty of recognition» by other regimes, weakening the meaning of «sovereignty of fact» and reducing the monopoly of internal legitimation. The digitalization of international relations was also found to have shaken the former monopoly of top-down political legitimation. The factors of information, fake wars, challenges of digital diplomacy forced the elites to look for ways to establish an upward legitimation of their regimes, allowing elements of an empowerment strategy. The theoretical significance of the carried out political science reconceptualization is seen in the serious prospects for adapting Tsymbursky's geopolitical schemes to the actual analysis of modern digitalization of various forms of political legitimation and international relations.