No 6 (2025)

The article analyzes the transformation of the religious education system in Mauritania. Traditional Arab-Islamic education is in the center of public attention in the Muslim world, because it is closely related to both the problem of security and the strengthening of identity. The modern Mauritanian unique model of religious education, which has gained high authority and popularity in the Islamic world, is based on the foundation of a historical educational institution called mahdara. The article examines the history of the emergence of mahdara, the goals, forms and methods of teaching, the adaptation of the ancient model of education to modern times. An analysis of the state policy of recent decades in relation to the institutions of Islamic education is conducted. The author comes to the conclusion that mahdara was able to effectively adapt its functions, way of life, education system, social activities and intellectual component to modern times. Mahdara plays an important academic and social role in Mauritania and the Muslim world at large, continuing to exert a powerful influence in the political and religious spheres. In modern Mauritanian society, it promotes the spread of education, the preservation of spirituality and culture, and the unification of the country.

In 1954, French possessions in South Asia became part of the Republic of India. This article examines aspects of the integration of 4 French enclaves (Pondicherry, Mahe, Yanaon and Karikal) under the umbrella toponym Pondicherry into India in the 1950–1960s, and analyzes the administrative and legal status of this territory within India. The agreement on the legal transfer of French territories to India was signed in 1954, followed by a respective treaty in 1956; the latter was ratified by both countries only in 1962. During the transition period (1954–1962), Pondicherry boasted of specific administrative rights in many ways similar to those of India’s states, but in 1962 it joined the federation as a union territory. This did not cater to the needs of the local political elite, so since the 1960s, Pondicherry’s politicians have been demanding statehood for the territory and have actively been exploiting the statehood issue in electoral campaigns.

The paper discusses the main socio-political reasons for the development of the International Nоrth–Sоuth Transport Corridor – one of the most promising infrastructure development projects in Eurasia. These reasons are discussed in the context of the historical development of trade routes in the Caucasian region, as well as current political events, such as the change of government in Iran in 2024 and the re-election of Donald Trump as the president of the US. The factors of the Corridor’s development should be understood as a nexus of political and social developments in the region and globally. The project faces serious challenges due to its decentralized development (there are many powerful stakeholders with conflicting interests) and rapidly changing international structure and system. The authors suggest going beyond studying economic or logistical reasons for the development of new trade routes. The socio-political reasons for the Corridor should be divided into categories, such as geopolitics, economic interests, security interests, and regional connectivity, and studied as a whole to understand the ramifications of these processes. The negative factors, especially the most acute problems, such as chokepoints, must also be taken into account.