Moscow, International Relations Publishing House, 1976, 287 p. Circulation 8000. Price 1 rub. 22 kopecks. Imaginology (from the English "image" - image, stereotype) is a new direction in Western historiography, sociology, political science, the science of international relations and economics. However, if attempts at imaginological approaches-especially to international problems-are only a few years old, the phenomena that serve as the subject of research are as old as the ancient art of diplomacy itself. Indeed, any form of foreign policy activity, in particular actions taken in response to the actions of another state, is always mediated by the prevailing ideas about this counterparty, about its potential capabilities - resources, intentions and plans, the value and reliability of its friendship or the danger that can be exposed because of its hostile position. The real international situation must first pass through the minds of those on whom foreign policy decisions depend, before the decisions themselves can be made and implemented. The question of the adequacy of the reflection of the realities of international life in the minds of the ruling circles of a particular country is much more complicated. Class subjectivism often minimizes even the ability of generally astute bourgeois politicians to acquire sound ideas and to make sober judgments about certain aspects of international reality. For a researcher of international relations, it is extremely important to understand the operation of a "mechanism" that has class roots and often unconscious distortions in the consciousness of real reality. Very significant in this mechanism are foreign policy stereotypes, i.e. stable ideas about another country, its economic and military potential, socio-political system, the goals that its government sets for itself in the international arena, the diplomatic strategies and tactics it uses, etc. Stereotypes, if they correctly reflect reality, can serve as useful guidelines ... Read more