Ukraine's place in the modern world-system (according to the methodology of Wallerstein's world-system analysis)

The article attempts to consider and clarify the place of Ukraine in the modern Western world. For this purpose, the theory of world-system analysis by Immanuel Wallerstein is used as a research methodology. The main principles of the world-system theory of the American researcher Immanuel Wallerstein are presented as one of the leading sociological macrotheories that explains the social, economic, political, and historical development of countries. The theoretical foundations of the study of the modern world-system are also formed on the basis of the works of Immanuel Wallerstein’s followers, namely Thomas D. Hall, Mario Coccia, and William Robertson. The place of Ukraine in the dichotomous division of capitalism into the core and the periphery within the world-system is analyzed. The theory of frontiers by Thomas D. Hall and its influence on the formation of political, economic, and ideological blocs within the modern world-system are also presented. The influence of big capital owners on the formation of the economic and political sectors of Ukraine is studied based on the works of Ukrainian sociologists Oleksandr Rakhmanov, Oleksandr Reznik, Volodymyr Reznik. The main landmarks of Ukrainian society at the beginning of the creation of Ukraine as an independent state are identified and a comparison is made with modern views. The place of Ukraine as a periphery according to the dichotomous division into core–periphery is determined based on the theory of world-system analysis. Possible strategies for Ukraine to improve its place in the modern world-system are considered. Among the outlined strategies are the construction of a strong political apparatus, a military sector with innovations that can compete on the world stage, the development of the agricultural industry and the service sector, as well as the expansion of the capabilities of the IT sector. Based on the analysis of the frontier theory, the main characteristics of Ukraine as a state located at the junction of two polar blocs: the democratic West and the autocratic East are identified. It is noted that Ukraine appears in the modern war with the Russian Federation not only as a military front line, but also as a value front line.