"THINK TANKS" AS MODERN ACTORS IN WORLD POLITICS : STRUGGLE IN THE SPACE OF INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

Abstract

The article analyzes the content of think tanks in the United States and China and their influence on the political decision-making process of the country's leadership. It is noted that think tanks exist in countries with different types of political regimes (both democratic and authoritarian), thereby demonstrating their social significance and ability to adapt to different conditions of functioning. It is stated that think tanks in democratic countries have long played a leading role in policy-making, offering expert assessments of various situations, from combating the global economic crisis to analyzing military operations.

Think tanks in the authoritarian space have their own peculiarities. Within the existing Chinese think tanks, there is no significant diversity of opinions and positions that distinguish similar Western think tanks. Another difference lies in their proximity to the government, which allows think tanks to exert greater influence on decision makers in the country than most of their American or European counterparts. Chinese government officials have little choice in the availability of professional advice in the field of international relations, and little incentive to seek such advice outside of traditional institutions. The influence of think tanks on foreign policy decision-making largely depends on the personal connections of the heads of these centers in the Chinese political elite. In 2019-2021, faced with the challenge of creating an anti-Chinese alliance (AUKUS), the Chinese authorities demanded that think tanks not only provide expert and analytical work, but also draft decisions on the most important issues of foreign and domestic development.